Jim Al-Khalili talks to Liz Newton

As a Professor of Physics at Surrey University, member of the BA Council, senior advisor on science and technology for the British Council, supervisor to two PhD students and leading expert on the structure of neutron halo nuclei, Jim Al-Khalili is a busy man.

Despite this, he continues to devote a large proportion of his career to public engagement, holding the University of Surrey Chair in the Public Engagement of Science, and an EPSRC Senior Media Fellowship. His public engagement work has been recognised with such prestigious accolades as the Institute of Physics Public Awareness of Physics Award and the Royal Society Michael Faraday Prize for Science Communication.

Desire to promote science

So what is it about public engagement that entices a successful physicist away from his research? Jim admits that his own reasons are not entirely altruistic. ‘I like to see the light bulb go up above people’s heads,’ he explains. ‘I guess that’s what every science communicator wants. I get as much of a buzz out of getting people enthusiastic about science as I do out of my own research. I’m inspired by science, and I can’t understand why not everyone wants to know the answers to all the big questions.’

It is this desire to promote science that has driven Jim to engage with the public on a large scale – through the media. As well as being the author of a number of popular science books, he has written several columns in national newspapers, has been a regular contributor on Radio 4 and was the presenter for the successful BBC4 television series Atom.

LHC hiccup

Most of Jim’s media work is, unsurprisingly, physics-related. The setback to CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, launched in September amidst unprecedented media interest, occurred while the project was still very much in the public eye.

Far from seeing this as a tragedy for science public engagement and the reputation of physics, Jim takes the view that all publicity is good publicity. ‘The coverage can be nothing but positive – it got the public interested and engaged with science. The story as a whole has captured the public’s imagination, which can only be a good thing.’

Informed decisions

Is it really important to devote valuable airtime and column inches to abstract subjects like space and particle physics, when there are far more pressing issues facing both scientists and society today?

Jim Al-Khalili: LHC coverage ‘got the public interested and engaged with science’

‘There are certain things society needs to know about science – to help them make informed decisions,’ explains Jim. ‘They need to know whether nuclear power is right for us, they need to know whether nanotechnology’s going to be harmful, and whether GM’s necessary.

‘But quantum mechanics, cosmology – those “sexy” subjects are important to inspire,’ explains Jim. ‘There’s a whole load of kids who want to become scientists because they want to be astronauts, or they want to discover a new particle. I see it when students apply to university – invariably they start off saying, I want to be an astronaut. And why not? If that’s what gets them interested in physics, great.’

So what?

Does it really matter if Joe Blogs knows his hadron from his positron? This is a question which people often ask Jim, as it affects scientists, policy makers and educators as much as it affects the public.

‘They’re absolutely right – so what?’ he says. ‘So what, if we don’t know who painted the Mona Lisa? So what, if we don’t know who wrote Romeo and Juliet? But actually, it is important. In a civilised, cultured society there are certain things that are important to know, and isn’t the most important thing for us to know our place in the Universe?’

Jim is clearly passionate about his work as a science communicator, and he even has plans to turn his hand to Chemistry for his next big television project. However, his career as a researcher in nuclear physics is one that he continues to take seriously, and he’s certainly not going to drop his research in favour of public engagement alone. ‘I’ve found a comfortable balance,’ Jim says. ‘I want to be a practising scientist who presents on TV – I’m happy with that.’

Liz Newton is a Science Communication MSc student at UWE, and a researcher for Tigress Productions, a television company based in Bristol.