15 April 2025 – The RSB Voices of the Future 2025

The Royal Society of Biology hosted its annual Voices of the Future event on March 17^th. The event offers early career researchers the opportunity to question MPs and Peers on topics related to scientific research in the UK.

The Genetics Society was among several organisations associated with the RSB invited to send a representative to attend the event. Postgraduate student members of the society were invited to nominate themselves to attend the event by expressing the question they would like to see asked to MPs. The question the Genetics Society committee felt best represented the genetics community, and the member who proposed the questions, would then be named as the Society’s representative and signed up for Voices of the Future 2025.

A number of applications were received by the society, revealing a series of key recurring themes, including the use of artificial intelligence and how the government can build regulatory and ethical frameworks to safeguard against the misuse of powerful tools. Other questions were interested in the future of UK food security, the communication of complex concepts to the public, and postgraduate employability.
The member nominated to represent the society was Michael Pointer from the University of East Anglia. Michael’s question focused on public understanding in fields such as Genomics and AI.

“Genomics, especially when combined with AI, is becoming increasingly important in tackling major societal challenges such as human health and biodiversity loss. How can we ensure these complex concepts are effectively communicated to the public, and what steps can be taken to foster informed public engagement and trust in these solutions?”

Michael’s question was answered by Dr Allison Gardner MP and Emily Darlington MP. Both stated that science communication should be part of any degree and integrated into curriculums. Emily Darlington MP stated that communicating research should be established as “Part of the Job” for aspiring scientists, refuted any notion of “we don’t need more experts” in science policy, and added that experts have a key role in the public’s understanding of science policy. Dr Allison Gardner MP made references to Sence about Science and Professor Hannah Fry as making major steps in promoting science communication. Dr Gardner was also quick to add that proteomics and proteins were “Just as Cool and Sexy” as genomics.

Their full responses can be found here on the Royal Society of Biology’s YouTube channel (Time stamp: 1:16:15). Further information can also be found in the RSB’s own news item here.

Postgraduate members are encouraged to keep an eye out for opportunities to attend in future years.

Alec
Postgraduate Student Representative