The PFGS seminar series centres on two assumptions: first that the bio/life sciences are the cornerstone of research initiatives across industrialized societies; and second that future outcomes of this research, the policy meant to guide it, and the inevitable societal impact are all uncertain enough to warrant serious deliberation. Due to the emergent nature of many of these areas of research as well as their unknown implications, it is vital that the academic community that is emerging concurrently with these scientific developments are not only well versed in the issues these advancements raise, but also equipped with the skill-set necessary to engage with those issues. These seminars bring together this up-and-coming academic community, pairing it with experienced and learned professionals across disciplines to help identify crucial themes in the bio-sciences and to sharpen their tools of engagement.

2009-10 Programme:

Past regional events have included:

Meeting 1 – February 2008 - Doing Lab Ethnography @ University of York

Meeting 2 – 17^th March 2008 - Interdisciplinary Research in Practice @ University of Sheffield

Meeting 3 – 25^th April 2008 - Researching and Interviewing Elite Groups in the Field of Biomedicine @ University of Edinburgh;

Meeting 4 – 27^th June 2008 - Data Sharing and Open Access in Genomics @ Oxford University