Brexit May Harm Research, Scientists and Mathematicians Warn

Nearly three dozen Nobel laureates and Fields Medal winners sign a letter to the UK Prime Minister and the President of the European Commission.

Written byCatherine Offord

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Six Fields Medal winners and 29 Nobel laureates have signed a letter calling on UK and European governments to protect science’s interests following Brexit, Britain’s exit from the EU. Addressed to UK Prime Minister Theresa May and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, the letter was emailed to reporters yesterday evening (October 22), and warns against the creation of barriers to free movement across the continent.

The signatories are a group of Europe-based scientists and mathematicians led by Nobel laureate and chemist Venki Ramakrishnan, president of the Royal Society. They argue that science needs “the flow of people and ideas across borders,” BBC News reports, and that the UK “must now strive to ensure that as little harm as possible is done to research.”

The letter continues: “The challenges we face must be tackled in a manner that benefits everyone and those challenges are better ...

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Meet the Author

Catherine Offord
After undergraduate research with spiders at the University of Oxford and graduate research with ants at Princeton University, Catherine left arthropods and academia to become a science journalist. She has worked in various guises at The Scientist since 2016. As Senior Editor, she wrote articles for the online and print publications, and edited the magazine’s Notebook, Careers, and Bio Business sections. She reports on subjects ranging from cellular and molecular biology to research misconduct and science policy. Find more of her work at her website.
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