Life Sciences and Society

Upon completion of the Life Sciences and Society profile, you will...

• Understand that Life Sciences research occurs in a societal context and has gained knowledge about specific mechanisms through which Life Sciences research and society are interconnected and mutually influenced by each other.
• Understand to which extent the core values of society at any given moment influence the interpretation and outcome of scientific research.
• Understand the effect of Life Sciences research on society and how scientific research helps to present, communicate, and integrate new knowledge within society.
• Be able to execute social scientific and qualitative research (incl. research design, methodologies and data analysis) and can translate the research outcomes to policy and/or the societal context.

When are scientific findings considered robust? What roles are there for objectivity, subjectivity, and (un)certainty in science? How is our perception of biological processes shaped by our theories and values? How does and how should science progress? What does it mean that science should be reproducible? And how are all these questions related to issues of trust in science and its use outside academia? Many scientists and philosophers of science have given different answers to these questions, and viewpoints on these topics vary between different research areas.

This module addresses central topics in the philosophy of science based on authentic scientific cases in the life sciences. The aim is to learn to systematically evaluate scientific research in terms of the underlying philosophical assumptions and apply these insights to your own scientific practice. The course adopts a practice-oriented approach in philosophy of science and takes in-class discussion as fundamental for learning and preparing for the exam. We will discuss various perspectives on how science works and should work to produce reliable knowledge, and you will learn to articulate and justify your own viewpoint.

Suppose that your supervisor in the organisation you work for, asks you not to be too harsh in your conclusions, since “it makes the organisation look bad”. Or imagine discovering that relevant information has been left out of the dataset your capstone client shared with you, while their current policy is based on this dataset. What would you do in these situations?

In this module, we focus on such integrity and ethical issues. We offer you in-depth cases and literature, which we will discuss collectively. The main assignment is to reflect on those issues, which could be or already are, relevant to your capstone project. The course intends to help you become a more responsible and reflective professional, who can account for their own decisions and actions. Additionally, we teach you who to turn to when you need support facing a dilemma. Deliverables in this course include a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of your capstone project and an essay on an ethical or integrity dilemma. You will also present your capstone project to a panel of citizens to gain various societal perspectives on your project.

All people have unconscious associations or biases, which affect the way they behave or work. If we take a critical look at science, many biases are present in research settings. Consequently, we have less knowledge for example about disease progression in women and pharmacokinetics in different ethnic populations or age groups. Also, biomedical researchers might not be aware of the biomedical mechanisms underlying unconscious biases that influence their (research) choices. Being aware of implicit biases in science is therefore important, as biomedical innovations affect healthcare choices. 

During this module we will focus on biomedical knowledge linked to bias. Students will learn which neurobiological mechanisms are behind implicit bias and what effect these biases have on research choices. The difference between the terms sex and gender will be discussed as well as a case study on sex-differences in cardiovascular disease. Additionally, students will debate the use of ‘race’ as a variable in pharmacology research. Lastly, students will consider how equity, diversity and inclusion can be increased throughout the entire academic system, from funders to research teams, and will practice (science) communication in doing so. 

In this module we familiarise students with being a scientist in real life by addressing questions such as ‘What does it take to have a career in science in the current academic system, on both a personal and professional level?’, ‘Are the ‘truths’ about science that we are taught during our Bachelor’s degrees actual academic practice?’ and ‘How do we handle current challenges in science?’. 

In this module, students are shown how an open science approach provides answers to current issues in academia and how it might increase the connection between science and society. Lively discussions, debates and written rebuttals will be used as methods to ascertain what incentives and rewards are at the core of current (suboptimal) research practices. Additionally, students will be offered workshops on one or more of the tools in the Open Science Toolkit to give them some handles for grappling challenges after their Master’s programme.

The environment we live in is inextricably part of our day-to-day existence and perturbations, since the environment can have disastrous consequences on our livelihoods and health. Ongoing environmental crises, such as climate change and air pollution, have inequitable impacts globally – disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income communities. To understand the global health and lifestyle impact, specifically on these populations, an appreciation of both planetary and global health is required. 

This module aims to introduce the principles of global health and their relationship to planetary health. You will learn key concepts in both disciplines, which will be underscored by real-world case studies and practical exercises. The key objectives of the course are to introduce fundamental concepts of global and planetary health, and to facilitate engagement and reflection on current global and planetary health developments.

In the following short video former Life Sciences and Society student Joanne van Keulen tells you about her experiences during the profile. Furthermore, three written testimonials of former students Mathilde Serre, Denise Peeters and Eline Jansen can be found below the video.

Video testimonial Joanne van Keulen: This profile really broadened my horizons.

Testimonial Mathilde Serre

"I think [the profile] was a really good experience for a real-life kind of job, especially the capstone project. You don't really know your stakeholders: who they are, what they do, their background etc, and you really learn how to navigate that. So, I think it was a good exercise to experience what real-life work is like. Additionally, I think the order of the modules was really well done, and I liked the many different teachers and lecturers we had. I think it's a great source of contacts, if you want to do a project afterwards, or even if you want to find a job." 

Testimonial Denise Peeters 

[This profile] has made me enthusiastic to include all new perspectives and lessons learned in a possible PhD and further career. My personal and scientific perspective has been widened (...). Understanding both perspectives, from society and life sciences, and communicating it in a clear manner is needed in order to solve future and current societal challenges.

Testimonial Eline Jansen

"I think, at least for me, [the profile] was really about broadening my horizons, broadening my skillset and learning more outside of the lab. Especially since I’m coming from a very lab- and research-oriented Master’s programme. Through LSS I’ve learned about qualitative research and stepping out of my comfort zone (...). It was nice to look more critically at science. I did some science ethics courses in my Bachelor’s, but now we dove deeper into ‘why we do science’, what our biases are and which diversity aspects to consider. I think that is useful! (...). Now I know more about what I want to do after my studies, going more into policy or science communication. So, [the profile] confirmed that this is something that’s fun for me.