Brian Martin (social scientist)

Martin's original academic field was theoretical physics, and he worked in both stratospheric modelling and numerical methods during his career. He has published extensively about the social dynamics and politicisation of controversial scientific topics. His topics of inquiry have included the globalization of polarised science such as the origin of HIV/AIDS.[8] He argues that there are situations in which scientific research that threatens vested interests can be suppressed. He identifies a number of direct and indirect mechanisms through which this can occur, ranging from the denial of funds and the denial of promotion and tenure, through to the creation of a "general climate of fear".[13] Martin's work on in this area has provided what Delborne describes as a "key foundation for conceptualizing scientific dissent".[5]

Martin has been criticised for supporting the incorrect proposal that oral polio vaccine caused AIDS.[8][14][15] The hypothesis first came to notice in Rolling Stone magazine by way of journalist Curtis and AIDS activist Elswood in 1992, and was later further promoted by the journalist/writer Hooper and Martin,[8][16] with Hooper crediting Martin for giving the OPV-AIDS link hypothesis "further publicity and credibility".[17] Martin disputes the claim that he has been a supporter of the hypothesis, instead saying that he has "never argued in favour of the OPV theory", but has instead stated "that it was and remains worthy of consideration yet in many ways has been unfairly dismissed".[18] A 2016 article in The Australian described Martin's 2010 paper as claiming "that medical researchers had colluded to silence the theory that the AIDS virus was caused by contaminated polio vaccines in 1950s Africa."[7]

Martin has been active in the criticism of university systems. He has criticized conflicts of interest where universities are managing internal investigations that may lead to bad publicity, and recommends having independent groups investigate allegations of misconduct;[19] he has written about the unauthorised use of research produced by students and junior researchers by senior academics;[20] and he has been outspoken against sexual relationships between staff and students.[21][22] He also reports that any bias within universities could simply be due to students strategically working in-line with the biases of their teachers.[4]

Martin was subjected to an attempted academic gag when he published material about the forced retirement of a University of Adelaide academic. His university instructed him to remove the content from his website after Adelaide University threatened to sue. Martin's published material in question is now found on other websites.[23]

Martin believes that if complainants go through the official channels the outcome is very predictable, in that the organisation's internal grievance procedures, or making a complaint to the relevant ombudsman, does not work.[10] He also believes whistleblower laws do not work, saying; "Not only are whistleblower laws flawed through exemptions and in-built weaknesses but in their implementation they are rarely helpful".[24]

In April 2001, Martin published an article in defence of a sacked academic at UOW in the national newspaper The Australian.[25] In a response published in the same paper, the Vice-Chancellor of Murdoch University Steven Schwartz accused Martin of a position supporting the concept of a "laissez-faire attitude towards academic freedom (in which all sides are presented impartially)" saying his "approach to academic freedom is neither logical nor practical" as this approach "forces universities to abandon their most cherished values: scholarship, wisdom and truth".[26]

Immunologist and research scientist Greg Woods refuted Martin’s posit on the Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease stating Matin’s 2014 paper in The Conversation on the theory behind the cancer "misrepresents the state of the science".[27][28]

In 2014, Martin published a paper characterising criticism of Andrew Wakefield's discredited claims about vaccines and autism as "suppression of vaccination dissent".[29][30] In 2016, an Agence Science-Presse piece accused Martin of defending "the idea of a vaccine-autism link."[31] However, Martin disputes this, saying: "I have never defended this idea."[32] The Australian reported that "Martin is a former paid member of the anti-vaccine Australian Vaccination Network", and that Martin states that he is also a member of the American Skeptics Society.[9]

Martin has been criticised for his role in the Judith Wilyman PhD controversy where medical academics and the AMA raised concerns of whether Martin had the necessary knowledge to assess her doctorate which discussed vaccine science.[7][33][34][9] The Australian has criticised him as not recognising academic rigour over academic freedom,[33] and surgeon John Cunningham called on the University to have the thesis "reviewed by people whom have knowledge of vaccinations".[35]

In 2016, the Australian Skeptics criticised Martin's supervision of Wilyman by presenting Martin, Wilyman and the Social Sciences Department of the University of Wollongong the satirical Bent Spoon Award for awarding "a PhD thesis riddled with errors, misstatements, poor and unsupported 'evidence' and conspiratorial thinking".[36][37]

In 2017, Martin received publicity for his supervision of a PhD that argued bee stings were more dangerous than terrorist bombers, on the grounds that "more people die in car accidents, from domestic murders and bee stings in Australia than terrorist attacks".[38] A contributor to Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper wrote that the "360-page essay also takes aim at the ABC, News Corp Australia and the St James Ethics Centre for backing torture. And it claims the federal government has a "pro-torture ideology"."[38]

Martin previously supervised an unsuccessful PhD by Michael Primero titled "The 'politics' of vaccination: a scientific controversy analysis",[39] who went on to be a director of Viera Scheibner's anti-vaccination group Medical Veritas.[9][38]

• Personal home page
• Brian Martin, University of Wollongong