Sara Green receives the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters’ Silver Medal

“I’m very pleased, surprised and touched that my colleagues nominated me and receiving the award is a great honour,” says Green, adding:

“I also see it as a recognition of the practice-oriented philosophy of science that I’m proud to be a part of developing.”

Green is an associate professor of theory of science at the Department of Science Education, University of Copenhagen. Her research focuses on the intersection between epistemology and ethics in the biomedical sciences. Her current research is particularly concerned with what personalised medicine means for science and society. And now she can call herself a recipient of the Royal Academy’s Silver Medal.

Awarded annually to a Danish researcher, the medal has been bestowed on Green for many reasons but according to those behind her nomination, the weightiest factors were her high degree of interdisciplinarity and cross-cutting collaboration:

“Her interdisciplinary approach and ability to collaborate closely with philosophers, sociologists, anthropologists, STS [science and technology studies] researchers and researchers from the disciplines that she studies have also been a key aspect of her work since the start of her academic career,” asserts her nomination statement, which also states:

“The fact that so many leading researchers from disciplines in the humanities, social sciences and biological and medical sciences have chosen to collaborate with her clearly reflects her exceptional talent, intelligence and energy.”

Building bridges and a willingness to compromise

Green’s research combines philosophical analysis with ethnographic methods while simultaneously incorporating philosophy of science literature into the dialogue with other studies in science and technology. Green believes that interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial to understanding the implications of new technologies for both science and society.

“I see myself as a bridge builder, which might sound a bit fluffy but it takes a tremendous amount of work to familiarise yourself with other fields of research. I’ve spent many years studying biology, reading medical journals and understanding how, for example anthropologists, biologists, doctors and STS researchers work. Moreover collaborating with researchers from those fields has shaped my thinking and methodological approach,” notes Green.

Working across disciplines and professional groups, however, is not an uncomplicated process and also comes with a price since it requires compromises, emphasises this year’s Silver Medal winner:

“It’s probably been at the expense of specialising in my own research profile in philosophy. But perhaps taking a slightly different approach has allowed me to specialise in my own way.”

Research that benefits more people

Green has found her niche and plans to continue to open the door into complex spaces in research that require versatile thinking and approaches:

“I would like to use part of the Silver Medal grant to sponsor a workshop and a writing residency to strengthen existing and new collaborative relationships,” she says, adding:

“Some of the grant will also go to dissemination activities. I think there’s a whole slew of important issues that are also relevant to students and the general public.”

The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters’ Silver Medal will be presented at a members’ meeting on Thursday 26 September, where Green will give a presentation about her research to members of the Royal Academy.