03.03.2026
Science in transition: Sir Peter Gluckman speaks at IIT Mumbai
2 March 2026
Sir Peter Gluckman, Director of Koi Tū and President of the International Science Council, delivered a keynote address at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mumbai on the changing landscape of science and its role in global futures.
Sir Peter highlighted the rapid transformation underway across the scientific ecosystem. Advances in big data and AI are expanding what questions science can answer, while complex societal challenges increasingly require transdisciplinary approaches. Governments now frame science through economic, security and geopolitical priorities, linking research directly to national interests.
He noted the shifting global distribution of research, with the Global South now producing more scientific publications than the developed world, and the rapid rise of private sector discovery science, particularly in digital and bioscience fields.
Sir Peter also raised concerns about maintaining trust in the scientific record. Peer review pressures, variable quality control and the potential for AI driven manipulation all threaten public confidence. At the same time, declining trust and polarised politics are affecting how scientific evidence is used or rejected.
On science diplomacy, Sir Peter emphasised its central role in advancing national objectives, from trade to security. While many view it as a tool for addressing the global commons, lasting progress occurs only when countries see these issues as aligned with their own interests.
He concluded with a call to strengthen systems that support trustworthy science and evidence informed decision making.
“How can we ensure that science can be developed, communicated and accepted in a trustworthy way so that it is used appropriately in these new and very different sociological, geopolitical and technological contexts.
The use of scientific knowledge is a societal and political choice. We must be constructive in finding solutions to these challenges and many of the solutions lie in societies such as yours. Science is ultimately core to the health of the planet, its biota, its societies and its citizens and indeed to the global economy – we must and can use our collective abilities to avoid real tragedies of the commons.”
