It's easy to get caught up in nonstop work. Precious moments like a simple walk with my daughter, who is growing too fast, remind me of what matters most. She helps me improve my work-life balance, one step at a time. Give it a try!

From the kitchen sink to select committee chair, science, innovation and technology have been a huge part of my journey, and they are such an important part of all our futures:

Very good explanation by Stian Westlake of the decision on UK in a Changing Europe. Couple of things. 1. I worked with UKiace. And they are fantastic. 2. Esrc should not bow to political pressure on this. Even if you don't like the outcome it would set a terrible precedent 1/2

2/2 3. Explanation is v clear. 4. The current management team inherited most of this policy - so blame people like me if you don't like the outcome. 5. Peer review & arms length bodies exist for a reason... do we really want panel decisions overruled?

Important read #scipol folks. Two follow up Qs to Stian's big Q (when should project funding end). What should benchmarks be. We could also put the question another way: what is the case for project funding to become core funding cc: Research on Research Institute (RoRI) James Wilsdon Stephen Curry

Imagine giving birth to a child — in #Afghanistan. Your son is sent to a madrassah, your daughter banned from school & silenced. Both suffering under #genderapartheid. We can’t turn our backs on them. Here’s what we need to do (1/2):

This needs repeating. And repeating. And repeating. And . . .

📣 New from Joseph Rowntree Foundation: growth alone doesn’t reduce poverty. To fix the foundations of the economy we need to fix the foundations for families - being able to afford essentials like food, bills, and a home, and access services when you need them. jrf.org.uk/work/economic-…

I glance down at the paperwork my patient has filled out before his visit. Occupation: Retired harbour master. Two things: I’ve never met a harbor master before. And “harbour” with a “u.” Interesting. It’s the little everyday mysteries that I love most. That reveal us. 1/

The Government has confirmed that £6 million of grant funding to establish a new National Academy focused on mathematical sciences has been withdrawn. President of the London Mathematical Society Professor Jens Marklof responds to the decision below. linkedin.com/feed/update/ur…

Good discussion on BBC Woman's Hour that the Taliban are being taken to the ICJ. The Taliban and the international community are talking: nature.com/articles/d4158… But as UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett has said, education is not on this agenda. We need to keep asking: why?

It’s book giveaway time!! Two lucky readers can win a copy of Africonomics. Like and retweet by midnight tonight (BST) to be entered in the draw 📚

For weeks, my colleague Sarah Wild has been diligently chasing news that the Square Kilometre Array, the world's largest telescope, has paused its expansion into another eight African countries. Here's Sarah's story: nature.com/articles/d4158…

What happens as chatbots get "bigger and better"? They become more likely to generate wrong answers than to admit ignorance (and sadly people aren't good at spotting the bad answers). Read more in this @nature paper nature.com/articles/s4158…

'Foundational discoveries' mentioned in today's physics Nobel do go back a bit. One of their studies had only 4 references: nature.com/articles/32353…

Out today! Get your copy here or at your favorite local bookshop harpercollins.co.uk/products/afric…

Your periodic reminder that #NobelPrize2024 nominations process could do with some outside help. Global scientific networks African Academy of Sciences InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) 🌍 #science #health International Science Council and TWAS - The World Academy of Sciences have all offered. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Karolinska Institutet what are you waiting for :) nature.com/articles/d4158…