Singh Center for Nanotechnology - Professional Development for Graduate Students and Postdocs
 
Friday, December 11, 2020
2-3 pm, Zoom

Global Scientific Collaborations: A Key to Scientific Success
Joseph S. Francisco, PhD
President’s Distinguished Professor of Earth and Environmental Science and of Chemistry
University of Pennsylvania

Today, more than ever, research is of an international character, and “globalization” of science research is proceeding rapidly. This has important implications for the sciences. The conditions for science research around the world are continually improving, and thus global collaborations and partnerships can provide rich opportunities to enhance research and training. Diverse views and experiences give internationally connected research groups a significant competitive advantage over geographically limited ones; this is because the integration of different approaches enables much more creativity. Many of the world’s most pressing problems call for global cooperation, such as climate change, food security, public health, infectious diseases ( e.g. COVID-19), or resource conservation and environmental sustainability. Research collaborations across borders will become natural for the next generation of academics, as sharing of facilities will make it easier for them to be more productive. My talk will focus on the benefits of global collaborations and on students preparing for this future.