Abstract

This talk examines how emergent trends in innovation and its governance are raising new and old questions about how to control technology- especially on issues related to national security. It develops a new framework for understanding how emergent fields of science and technology emerge as security concerns; and the key challenges these fields pose from a global security perspective. The study focuses on the politics which have surrounded the emergent field of Synthetic Biology, a field which has become emblematic of both the potentials and limits of more preemptive approaches to governance. A key contribution of this work is the development of a new ‘way in’ to thinking about the challenges posed by emergent technology and the design of relevant policy from critical and disarmament perspectives.

Bio: Brett Edwards is a Lecturer in security and public policy working at the intersection of technology, security and global governance. His current research examines the security implications of cutting-edge biotechnology, the governance of biological and chemical weapons, and humanitarian intervention.

A brief commentary on the talk will be provided by Sam Weiss Evans , CRASSH Visiting Fellow at CSER , and Assistant Research Professor in Science, Technology, and Society at Tufts University.

This talk is co-organised by VIRI, CSER, and CRASSH .

We hope to see many of you there!