Mike Galsworthy

Mike Galsworthy (born 1976) is the co-founder of Scientists for EU and Healthier IN and a media commentator about the effects of Brexit on the scientific community in the United Kingdom.[2][3] He is currently a visiting researcher at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and was previously Senior Research Associate in the Department of Applied Health Research, University College London (UCL).

Mike Galsworthy
Born
Michael John Galsworthy

1976 (age 44–45)[1]
London, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationProgramme Director of Scientists for EU, Visiting Researcher London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Known forCo-founder of Scientists for EU and Healthier IN the EU
Academic background
Alma materUniversity of Cambridge
King's College London
ThesisA psychometric and quantitative genetic study of cognitive task performance in a heterogeneous stock (hs) population of MUS musculus (2003)
Academic work
Main interestsScience policy, Behavioural genetics

Early life and education

Galsworthy was born in London.[4] He studied Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge.[5] He gained his PhD in Behaviour Genetics from the King's College London in 2003. His doctoral supervisor was Robert Plomin.[6]

Career

Academia

Galsworthy completed ten years of postdoctoral work in Switzerland and Slovenia, returning to London in June 2012 to take a position as Senior Research Associate at University College London.[7] He is affiliated with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine as a visiting researcher.[8][9] His research interests include health services research, research mapping, and science policy of the EU.[10]

Politics

Since 2012, Galsworthy has been involved in initiatives in science policy and grassroots pro-European Union activism. He works full-time for Scientists for EU.[11]

Scientists for EU
See also: Opposition to Brexit in the United Kingdom § Scientists for EU

On 8 May 2015, the day after the UK general election 2015, Galsworthy co-founded the pro-EU research advocacy group Scientists for EU with fellow scientist Rob Davidson.[12][13]

Galsworthy articulated two concerns that Scientists for EU aimed to address: "first, a lack of clarity and cohesion within the community on EU benefits and Brexit risks; and, secondly, a lack of public understanding on the UK/EU relationship in science."[14] His decision to found the organization was driven by his reaction to the tone and content of the Brexit debate, which he described as a "colossal, nationwide rejection of expert opinion" fostered by "media... focused on the political soap opera, not the facts".[15] Prior to the referendum, Scientists for EU became a high-profile organisation presenting the case for EU membership.[16]

In March 2016, Galsworthy presented evidence on the impact of EU membership on UK science to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee.[14][17] Galsworthy answered questions about the balance between structural and competitive EU funding for science, the effectiveness of EU science collaborations, and the potential loss of influence over EU scientific regulations after Brexit.[14] Commenting on the committee's report in April 2016, Galsworthy stated that the EU science programme offered "huge added value" to the UK and "the overwhelming balance of opinion is for remaining in."[18]

Following the referendum, Galsworthy's immediate priority was to document its impact on the UK science community.[11] Around 350 scientists contacted Galsworthy in relation to the future of British science after Brexit, most of whom expressed concerns about the future of research in the UK.[19][20][21] For some, xenophobia was a significant concern.[19][20] Galsworthy concluded, "It is clear that the UK has overnight become less attractive as a place to do science."[21]

Galsworthy has continued to lobby and inform politicians and others about the negative consequences of a hard Brexit for science, including the loss of freedom of movement and the loss of influence over EU policies.[22]

Despite the referendum result, in Galsworthy's view Scientists for EU has been successful in raising the profile of science in UK politics.[11] In the 2017 United Kingdom general election both the Labour Party and Conservative Party election manifestos committed to raising the budget for research and development to 3 percent of gross domestic product. In Galsworthy's view, "This is a big step up from the general election of 2015 where science didn't feature. I think the referendum really helped push that onto the agenda."[23]

In August 2018, Scientists for EU highlighted to the media that, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the UK would lose its eligibility for three of the EU's major funding programmes. According to Galsworthy, this would mean "losing over half a billion [euros] a year in high value grants".[24]

In a profile in Nature in September 2018, Galsworthy said that Scientists for EU had changed its focus: Instead of representing the interests of British science in the Brexit negotiations, it was partnering with People's Vote to prevent Brexit altogether. The change was motivated by the diminishing window of time for negotiations and the increasing likelihood of a no-deal Brexit.[25]

Healthier IN the EU
See also: Opposition to Brexit in the United Kingdom § Healthier IN the EU

Together with Rob Davidson and Martin McKee,[26] Galsworthy co-founded Healthier IN the EU,[27] a grassroots organization making the health case for continued EU membership.[28][29]

Galsworthy and McKee co-authored an analysis of the effects of Brexit on the NHS, published in The Lancet, that predicted negative consequences for healthcare in Britain under every scenario.[30]

Media

Galsworthy appears in the anti-Brexit documentary film Postcards from the 48% (2018).[31][32]

Political views

Galsworthy is affiliated with the Labour Party.[33]

According to a profile in Der Standard, Galsworthy "persistently seeks clarification and sees it as a central science mission in the era of fake news."[9] Galsworthy opposes what he sees as the debasement of knowledge in populist politics.[19][34]

He has described President of the United States Donald Trump as "a dictator in American caricature form".[35]

References
  1. "Over and Out". Novara Media. 31 January 2020. Event occurs at 37:21. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  2. Galsworthy, Mike (24 December 2015). "Convinced by arguments to leave the EU? Consider the damage a Brexit would do to British science". The Independent.
  3. Galsworthy, Mike (1 June 2016). "In a world of cross-border cooperation, Brexit will harm the UK". New Scientist.
  4. "One Student's View". Aps Observer. 16 (6). 20 June 2003. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  5. "Who we are". Scientists for EU. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  6. Galsworthy, Michael John (2003). A psychometric and quantitative genetic study of cognitive task performance in a heterogeneous stock (hs) population of MUS musculus (PhD thesis). King's College London. OCLC 59182506.
  7. Staff writer (17 July 2013). "Spotlight on Mike Galsworthy". UCL News. University College London. Retrieved 12 July 2018. This week the spotlight is on Dr Mike Galsworthy, Senior Research Associate in the Department of Applied Health Research (DAHR)
  8. Wilsdon, James (14 July 2016). "Six leading scientists give perspectives on UK science after Brexit". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  9. Illetschko, Peter (31 January 2018). "Fakten gegen die britische Gerüchte-Politik" [Facts against British rumor politics]. Der Standard (in German). Retrieved 29 July 2018. versucht es Galsworthy beharrlich mit Aufklärung und sieht das auch als eine zentrale Aufgabe der Wissenschaft in Zeiten von Fake-News
  10. Galsworthy, Michael. "Profile". The Conversation.
  11. Abbott, Alison; Callaway, Ewen; Cressey, Daniel; Gibney, Elizabeth; Vesper, Inga (2017). "How Brexit is changing the lives of eight researchers". Nature. 543 (7647): 600–601. Bibcode:2017Natur.543..600A. doi:10.1038/nature.2017.21714. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 28358097. S2CID 4452761.
  12. "Who we are". scientistsforeu.uk. Scientists for EU. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  13. Stone, Emma (13 October 2015). "Scientists launch campaign to oppose UK exit from EU". Chemistry World. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  14. Mike Galsworthy, Programme Director, Scientists for EU; et al. (1 March 2016). "The Relationship between EU Membership and the Effectiveness of UK Science: Oral Evidence Session". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). United Kingdom: House of Lords, Select Committee on Science and Technology. Video.
  15. Gatehouse, Jonathon (8 June 2016). "Brexit vs Bremain: It's decision time". Maclean's.
  16. Finn, Mike (2018). British Universities in the Brexit Moment: Political, Economic and Cultural Implications. Emerald Group Publishing. p. 18. ISBN 978-1-78743-743-2.
  17. "How does EU membership influence UK science? Lords Committee hears from referendum science campaign groups". www.parliament.uk. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  18. Rincon, Paul (20 April 2016). "Concern over Brexit's impact on science". BBC News. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  19. Johnston, Ian (12 July 2016). "Racist, xenophobic and anti-intellectual: Academics threaten to leave Brexit Britain". The Independent. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  20. Hutton, Will (16 July 2016). "Why Brexit may be a deadly experiment for science". Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  21. Cookson, Clive (9 August 2016). "Brexit Briefing: Scientists feel the effect". The Financial Times. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  22. Foster, Peter (2 September 2016). "Why the Remainers are still clinging on to dreams of overturning Brexit...and how they hope to do it". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  23. Burke, Maria (23 May 2017). "R&D election funding pledges put research at heart of UK economy". Chemistry World. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  24. Shukman, David (25 August 2018). "No-deal Brexit 'worse than thought' for science". BBC. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  25. Masood, Ehsan; Vesper, Inga; Van Noorden, Richard (2018). "Six months to Brexit: how scientists are preparing for the split". Nature. Springer Nature America, Inc. 561 (7724): 452–454. Bibcode:2018Natur.561..452M. doi:10.1038/d41586-018-06781-8. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 30258165.
  26. O'Dowd, Adrian (2016). "UK exit from EU would be serious threat to science and healthcare, experts warn". BMJ. 352: i1117. doi:10.1136/bmj.i1117. ISSN 1756-1833. PMID 26908135. S2CID 28876902.
  27. Lynskey, Dorian (28 April 2018). "'It's not a done deal': inside the battle to stop Brexit". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  28. "About Us". Healthier IN the EU. Archived from the original on 12 July 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  29. Marsh, Stefanie (6 October 2017). "A Harsh Wake-Up Call for Some Brexiteers". The Atlantic. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  30. Fahy, Nick; Hervey, Tamara; Greer, Scott; Jarman, Holly; Stuckler, David; Galsworthy, Mike; McKee, Martin (2017). "How will Brexit affect health and health services in the UK? Evaluating three possible scenarios" (PDF). The Lancet. 390 (10107): 2110–2118. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31926-8. ISSN 0140-6736. PMID 28965715. S2CID 24369348.
  31. Wilkinson, David (Director) (6 July 2018). Postcards from the 48% (Documentary). London: Guerilla Docs / Postcard Films. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  32. Postcards from the 48% (2018) at IMDb
  33. Galsworthy, Mike (18 February 2014). "Eurosceptics could damage British science and innovation". The Guardian.
  34. Huang, Saffron (9 October 2016). "A Departure from Truth". Harvard Political Review. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  35. Leftly, Mark (27 January 2017). "Not Everyone in the U.K. Is Overjoyed About May's Meeting with Trump". Time. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
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