Dr Dan Santos

Dr Santos joined the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS) as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 2022. He earned his PhD and MA (both in Geography) from Clark University, and a BA (Hons) in Environmental Studies and BSc in Genetics and Environmental Science, both from the University of Melbourne. In 2020-21, he was a Visiting Fellow in the Program on Science, Technology and Society at the Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to joining CPAS, he was a Research and Teaching Assistant at Monash University and the University of Melbourne in human geography and bioethics.

PhD, MA, BA (Hons), BSc

Dr. Santos investigates the political economic and public engagement dimensions of emerging biotechnologies, especially concerning questions around openness and innovation. He has conducted empirical research on synthetic biology, stem cells, and biohacking, and his work is situated at the intersection between science communication, science and technology studies, and human geography (especially economic geography). In his doctoral research, he examined the democratization of biotechnology in community science labs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through ethnographic fieldwork, he analysed the geographical dynamics which shape the imaginaries and practices of efforts to make biotechnology accessible to a broader range of publics. In his postdoctoral research, he will contribute to investigating the potential value of a ‘commons’ for Australian stem cell research through examining meanings and practices around openness, especially with respect to sharing, collaboration and communication.