Committee begins Scientific Infrastructure hearings with evidence from users of key facilities

They will appear as part of the first evidence session of the committee’s inquiry into large and medium scale scientific infrastructure, such as super computers and telescopes. The committee will also ask whether the Government has good processes for identifying and planning for future infrastructure needs.

The committee will ask questions on areas such as:

• Do UK researchers have sufficient access to appropriate types of scientific infrastructure?
• Are facilities currently used to capacity and if not what steps could be taken to ensure that they are?
• Is it more important to invest in national or international facilities?

The evidence session will take place at 10.40 on Tuesday 18 June in Committee Room 4 of the House of Lords.

At 10.40am the committee will hear from:

• Professor Gerhard Materlik CBE FRS, Chief Executive Diamond Light Source Ltd;
• Professor Jon Goff, Chair of ISIS User Committee and Professor of Experimental Condensed Matter Physics, Royal Holloway University of London; and
• Professor Philip Nelson, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise and Professor of Acoustics, University of Southampton.

And at approximately 11.40am evidence will be given by:

• Professor Gabriel Aeppli FRS, Quain Professor of Physics and the Director of the London Centre for Nanotechnology;
• Dr David Payne, Materials Scientist, Imperial College London; and
• Professor David Brown, Director of Structural Biology at Argenta Discovery and Professor of Structural Biology at the University of Kent