Professor Lord Robert Winston, 71, is Professor of Science and Society at Imperial College London. As a scientist, he pioneered preimplantation genetic diagnosis of human embryos for IVF. He has presented numerous programmes on medicine and has described Richard Dawkins’s attitude to religion as “insulting” and “patronising”.
You once said that you were not a particularly gifted student. Really?
I certainly wasn’t an assiduous student. I didn’t do particularly well; but then I was pretty idle. I think I got the lowest mark ever recorded in biochemistry.
Advertisement
What was the area of fertility research like when you began in it?
There wasn’t [much] research going on. There was a fair recognition that this was a very empty area. So it seemed to me that this was wide open. If you’re modestly gifted, then going into an area where there isn’t much competition is a huge advantage in making a name for yourself.
Why was it so underserved?
Male domination of gynaecology I think was a large part of it. And the women who were doing gynaecology were almost honorary men. They were not sympathetic to women; they were quite judgemental; very authoritarian. One of my bosses said: “You’re not really going to run the fertility clinic are you? That’s the futility clinic.”And that was a very well-known male academic.
Advertisement
Are scientists getting better at communicating?
Some are. But some have forgotten that communication is a two-way process. A lot of these so-called scientific communicators are talking science down to the public. They are talking from a pedestal. And that’s a real issue.
You say that you do not like being a public figure. Why not?
Advertisement
That’s obvious isn’t it? For lots of reasons. You become other people’s property and you are inevitably put on some kind of mock pedestal ready to be taken down. And also, it assumes you are better than you are. Having said that, I do also accept that it’s been useful to me. But there is a down side to it, which is quite corrosive. It’s very easy to get seduced by your own cleverness. I’ve been there.
So why not stop doing public events?
I would miss talking to audiences. There is that gratification of being in front of an audience and performing. And you know there’s always been that element of thespian about me. I’m deeply flawed.
Advertisement
You are a scientist, but you also practise religion. Is that not contradictory?
No. Religion and science are to some extent about uncertainties. We do science because we’re uncertain about nature and we do religion because we’re uncertain about where we’re going. Perhaps most dangerous is to be certain.
Robert Winston will be appearing in several events at The Times Cheltenham Science Festival, June 12-17, including, on June 15, discussing the cultural value of science (cheltenhamfestivals.com/science; 0844 8808094)