
Home institution: CNRS, Géographie-cités laboratory, Paris
Project: Cities and scientific visibility in the UK: the case of Edinburgh
February to August 2018; April - May 2019
My project deals with the contemporary place of UK cities in the world system of scientific production. It combines bibliometric approaches and qualitative case studies. Combining a long scientific tradition, strong life sciences capabilities and a growing empowerment, the dynamics of Edinburgh's scientific visibility will be examined. In addition, a specific focus will be on the way cities function as a hub of knowledge production in the Northern part of the UK. My study will also involve more detailed analysis of specific fields of science that are well developed in this part of this region: molecular biology and data science. There are at least three ways in which my project will contribute to the geography of science research agenda. First, it relates to the distribution of knowledge in the UK and its world integration. Second, it involves case studies on specific fields that will bring new insights relating to the production and circulation of knowledge. Third, data retrieval and processing will aim at developing and sharing tools that will improve the understanding of contemporary science. By combining sources, scales, and methods, I intend to provide deeper insights into a challenging problem: the possible optimization of spatial arrangements in the context of contemporary science, and how countries can help their cities and researchers to cope with increasing diversity and polycentrism at global level.