We are a team of researchers, artists and public organisations asking questions about the place of plants in society, and how synthetic biologists might change them.
We are funded by ARIA’s Synthetic Plants Programme.
We start by recognising that science is about expanding what is known and what is possible. But it also happens within a certain space of possibility that is often taken for granted. We can use social science to expand what science is done and how it serves society’s needs.
What shapes this possibility space are more-than-technical aspects. Things like the choice of organism, the people doing the research, how they protect intellectual property, or the people who decide what to fund — that at first seem to be secondary to ’the science’ but on closer inspection turn out to be fundamental to it.
Through qualitative social scientific research with citizens, scientists, policy makers, plant breeders, civil society organisations, social scientists, historians and others, we aim to identify a set of shared puzzles that people think are important to address alongside the scientific research. We hope these puzzles can be sparks for collaborative research.
By bringing people with different experiences, expertises or priorities together to work on shared puzzles, we hope to create opportunities within plant synthetic genomics to expand the possibility space of the field. This could happen in many ways, from developing new governance tools to allowing different ideas about agriculture to mix.
the more-than-technical
Using qualitative methods, we’re mapping the key social, ecological, ethical and political issues that plant synthetic biology raises.
public discussion
By hosting public focus groups around Britain, we’ll learn what people think about some of the technologies ARIA might invent.
We’re also working with creatives such as Tom Law to produce artistic works that can prompt international discussion about plant synthetic biology.
futures workshops
We are convening workshops to build a common understanding of the most important puzzles and dilemmas plant synthetic biologists might face or create.
on experimental governance
Mixed groups will be working together for short periods of time to explore and respond to the issues that we identify in our cataloguing, convening and catalysing work.
Our first collaboration focuses on trying to bring knowledge about the breeding, growing and use of potatoes into contact with members of ARIA’s Synthetic Plants Programme.
lessons and communities
We’ll be hosting lots of gatherings and writing about our experiences along the way. Check the events page for more.