Is Science Diplomacy on Hold?

Given the dramatic geopolitical changes of the last months, science diplomacy, once primarily considered soft power, seems to have been put on hold. Even worse, in the blink of an eye, science diplomacy has been transformed into an instrument of hard power that aims to coerce Moscow and influence Putin’s military brutalities and Russia’s international affairs.

This panel brings together academics, science advisors, and science policymakers to discuss not whether science diplomacy is “the right tool for the job” in the war in Ukraine, but to reconsider what science diplomacy is and how strong academic disciplines in terms of their methodology, such as philosophy and history, can help us understand the role of science in times of international crisis and war.

Aristides Baltas

Emeritus Professor of Philosophy of Science, National Technical University of Athens

Former Minister of Culture of Greece

Melissa Denecke

Director, Division of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency

Joachim Hornegger

President, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

Gabriella Ivacs

Head, Archives and Records Management Section, International Atomic Energy Agency

John Krige

Kranzberg Professor Emeritus, School of History and Sociology, Georgia Institute of Technology

Angela Liberatore

Head of the Scientific Department, European Research Council Executive Agency

Rescheduled from November 2021, the 2021 Gordon Cain Conference sponsored by the Science History Institute focuses on the fascinating interplay of science, technology, and international affairs after the Second World War. By doing so, it marks the emergence of diplomatic studies of science as a field at the intersection of science and technology studies, history of science, diplomatic history, and international politics.

The Gordon Cain Conference is a gathering of scholars in the history of science and related fields. Each conference is organized by an eminent scholar who worked with staff to develop a theme of broad contemporary relevance. Centered on a topic chosen by the conference organizer, the conference consists of an evening public lecture, a symposium, and a collected volume. It is hosted by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry and supported by a generous gift from Gordon Cain.

Please send any inquiries to [email protected].

Event Venue

Maison de la Chimie, 28 Rue Saint-Dominique, Paris, France