Bye, bye, blue sky? Part 1: A conversation with Lee Cronin

Some argue that blue sky, also known as basic research, is critical – that the serendipitous results it fuels provide the perfect shoulders for giants to stand upon. But, with so much at stake globally right now, from climate change to population growth, is blue sky in danger of looking a little indulgent? And with public research funding under pressure and universities facing calls to focus on practical skills, is it living on borrowed time? Dr. Lesley Thompson, Elsevier Vice President of Academic and Strategic Alliances, explores these questions on Research 2030. In this episode she is joined by Regius Professor of Chemistry in Glasgow, Lee Cronin.

SHOW NOTES
Leroy (Lee) Cronin FRSE was born in the UK in 1973 was appointed to be Regius Professor of Chemistry in Glasgow in 2013 after being a professor (2009 & 2006) and reader in Glasgow since 2002. Read more about Cronin and about the Chemify project.
Scopus author profile

Dr. Lesley Thompson joined Elsevier in 2016 as Director Academic & Government Strategic Alliance in the UK. Previously, she worked for 26 years at the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the largest of the UK’s seven research councils. Read more.

Resources: Future-proofing research
In the Research Futures report , Elsevier and Ipsos MORI, one of the world’s largest research agencies, joined forces to understand how trends – from advances in technology and funding pressures to political uncertainty and population shifts – might be fueling the changes we’ll see in the coming decade.

The resulting large-scale future-scoping and scenario-planning study raised many questions and sparked interesting conversations – some of which we are capturing in this podcast.
Download report here

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