PhD (Philosophy)

PG Dip (Econommics)

I'm a science communication academic with a background in philosophy (PhD) and economics (PG Dip). I bring these fields into my work on how knowledge, and especially scientific knowledge, is discussed, considered, and shaped in conversations between experts and non-experts. I'm especially interested in questions about social epistemology and on the ethics of science communication. 

For me, science communication is not a discipline; it's inherently interdisciplinary (some might say transdisciplinary) and so call on many different disciplines.

I've worked in Australia and New Zealand, and have collaborations all over the world. I'm currently the Secretary of PCST, the global network for the Public Communication of Science and Technology, and from 2016 to 2018, I was the president of the Science Communicators' Association of New Zealand.

Science is not value neutral, quite the contrary. We make value judgements about what is good or bad science. Because it costs money to carry out scientific research, we have to value it relative to other things we could be spending our money on. And most of our social decisions (such as decisions about health or the environment) occur at the intersection between science and social values. Fabien’s research focuses on:

• The Ethics of Science Communication
• Public understanding of Science and Economics
• The Scope and Limits of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)