STS Research Seminar: Dr Filippa Lentzos

 Shaping today’s biological risk landscape

The biological risk landscape is becoming more complicated and more challenging. There is an increasing number of maximum biocontainment labs as well as growth in high-risk research. New risks are also emerging from technological convergence. Sophisticated legal and illegal tools are being used to tap into innovation ecosystems, and dual-use is becoming an increasingly acute concern. Disinformation campaigns are becoming more pronounced, and any future unusual disease outbreak or deliberate biological attack is likely to be accompanied by disinformation, undermining the credibility of public health institutions and affecting public behaviour. Technical capabilities for developing biological weapons are also expanding, should the intent to do so be there. Yet, design and deployment of research, technologies and weapons require moral and political choices. This talk will emphasize how the arms control community has the power to influence and shape these choices, and will showcase a series of ‘wins’ for the community in recent years.