The Science Diplomat

S1E5: Bob McDonald on curiosity, climate, and communicating science

Season 1, Episode 5 — Bob McDonald on curiosity, climate, and communicating science Science enters public life through communication long before it reaches governments or policy debates. In this conversation, Bob McDonald, chief science correspondent for the CBC and longtime host of Quirks and Quarks, reflects on more than five decades spent translating scientific discovery for public audiences. Drawing on a career shaped by the Apollo era, environmental reporting, and rapid technological change, McDonald discusses how public understanding of science has evolved alongside growing political polarization, climate misinformation, and distrust in expertise. He argues that science communication is less about simplifying information than about helping people connect scientific evidence to everyday life. The conversation explores climate change, pseudoscience, artificial intelligence, energy transitions, scientific literacy, and the role of curiosity in shaping how societies respond to uncertainty and technological change. McDonald also reflects on optimism, public engagement, and why science journalism still depends on trust. Themes covered: * Science communication and public trust * Climate change and misinformation * Artificial intelligence and technological change * Scientific literacy and public understanding * Communicating uncertainty and evidence * Space exploration, curiosity, and optimism Recorded on May 5, 2026. Co-hosted by Amna Habiba, Bupe Chikumbi, and John Heilprin. Get full access to The Science Diplomat at www.thesciencediplomat.com/subscribe [https://www.thesciencediplomat.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

S1E4: Jan Marco Müller on science diplomacy, strategy, and the politics of evidence

Season 1, Episode 4 — Jan Marco Müller on science diplomacy, strategy, and the politics of evidence Science diplomacy is increasingly being treated as a practical tool of foreign policy at a time of geopolitical tension and technological competition. In this conversation, Jan Marco Müller, a senior official at the European Commission, reflects on how science diplomacy is being defined and put into practice within the European Union. Drawing on his role in developing the E.U.’s Framework for Science Diplomacy, Müller argues that earlier ideas focused mainly on cooperation are no longer enough. He describes science diplomacy as something governments use both to support collaboration and to advance their own interests, priorities, and values. The discussion looks at the difficulty of connecting scientific knowledge with political decision-making. Müller points to differences in language, structure, and pace between scientists and policymakers, and stresses the importance of bringing scientific input into decisions early rather than after choices have already been made. The conversation also considers how the E.U. framework was built, including efforts to bring scientists and diplomats into the same process. It places science diplomacy in a more contested global setting, where cooperation exists alongside competition, and where scientific evidence is increasingly questioned or politicized. Additional themes include the growing role of countries outside Europe and North America, the limits of evidence in shaping decisions, and the importance of timing, communication, and public engagement in making scientific knowledge useful. Themes covered: * Science diplomacy as a tool of foreign policy * The shift beyond cooperation-based approaches * Connecting science to political decision-making * Building science diplomacy frameworks * Geopolitical pressures on scientific collaboration * The role of countries outside the Global North * Evidence, uncertainty, and decision-making * Communication and timing in science advice Recorded on April 3, 2026. Co-hosted by Amna Habiba, Bupe Chikumbi and John Heilprin. Get full access to The Science Diplomat at www.thesciencediplomat.com/subscribe [https://www.thesciencediplomat.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

S1E3: Rémi Quirion on science advice, trust, and building systems that last

S1E3: Rémi Quirion on science advice, trust, and building systems that last Scientific advice is often described as a bridge between knowledge and policy. In practice, it depends on networks of institutions, funding structures, and relationships that must be built and maintained over time. In this conversation, Rémi Quirion, Québec’s chief scientist, head of the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ), and president of the International Network for Governmental Science Advice (INGSA), reflects on what it takes to construct those systems and make them function under political pressure. Drawing on his experience in government and a career in neuroscience, Quirion describes science advice not as a single intervention but as a continuous process of translation, repetition, and trust-building. Scientific evidence, he emphasizes, does not determine decisions; it informs choices made by elected officials balancing competing priorities. Maintaining credibility in that environment requires clarity about what is known, what is uncertain, and where evidence remains incomplete. The discussion returns repeatedly to the role of trust — between scientists and policymakers, across institutions, and within international collaborations. That trust, Quirion argues, cannot be assumed. It must be established through consistency, independence, and an ability to adapt to different political and cultural contexts. The conversation also examines structural features of Québec’s model, including the institutional independence of the chief scientist role and its integration with research funding through the FRQ. That dual position, Quirion suggests, enables both strategic coordination and rapid response, particularly during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond the national level, Quirion reflects on the expansion of science advice systems globally through INGSA, now spanning more than 130 countries. He highlights the absence of a single model, noting that effective systems must be adapted to local conditions rather than exported wholesale. Efforts to build capacity, particularly in the Global South, are framed less as transfer than as partnership. The episode also addresses mounting pressures on scientific collaboration, including geopolitical fragmentation, shifting U.S. engagement in research, and the need to build new partnerships across regions. In that context, Quirion positions science diplomacy as a practical mechanism for sustaining cooperation where traditional diplomatic channels are under strain. Finally, the conversation turns to technological change, including the growing role of artificial intelligence in shaping how advice is generated and used. While acknowledging its potential, Quirion cautions against overreliance on algorithmic outputs, emphasizing the continued importance of human judgment, institutional context, and ethics in decision-making. Themes covered: * Science advice as institutional infrastructure * Trust, credibility, and repetition in policymaking * The boundary between scientific evidence and political decision-making * Designing and sustaining science advice systems * Global variation in science advice and capacity-building * Science diplomacy under geopolitical strain * Artificial intelligence and the future of scientific advice Recorded on April 6, 2026. Co-hosted by Amna Habiba, Bupe Chikumbi and John Heilprin. Get full access to The Science Diplomat at www.thesciencediplomat.com/subscribe [https://www.thesciencediplomat.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

S1E2: Archana Sharma on collaboration, trust, and science diplomacy in practice

Season 1, Episode 2 — Archana Sharma on collaboration, trust, and science diplomacy in practice Scientific discovery at scale depends not only on ideas, but on systems — large infrastructures, long-term coordination, and sustained cooperation across countries that are not always politically aligned. In this conversation, physicist Archana Sharma reflects on how global science actually functions from inside one of its most complex environments. Drawing on decades of experience in high-energy physics, including her work on the experiments that led to the discovery of the Higgs boson, Sharma describes collaboration not as abstract cooperation, but as a structured system built on logistics, governance, negotiation, and trust. She explains how large scientific projects depend on reliability and interdependence as much as intellectual contribution, and why progress often hinges on patience and credibility rather than breakthrough alone. The conversation also examines how scientific collaboration operates across unequal systems of funding and access, and how trust rather than equipment or infrastructure is often the decisive factor in participation. Sharma discusses the challenges of recognition in collaborations involving thousands of contributors, the role of leadership in aligning institutions with different capacities, and how scientific work is embedded within political, financial, and cultural constraints. Throughout, she frames large-scale science as a form of science diplomacy in practice — an ongoing process of maintaining cooperation across generations, institutions, and national interests. She argues that such systems require continuous negotiation and shared commitment, and that their success depends on long-term investment not only in infrastructure, but in relationships. Themes covered: * Large-scale scientific collaboration as a structured system * Trust, credibility, and interdependence in global science * The distinction between collaboration and science diplomacy * Inequality in access, participation, and recognition * Leadership and negotiation across institutions * Science as a bridge across geopolitical and cultural divides Recorded on March 23, 2026. Co-hosted by Amna Habiba, Bupe Chikumbi and John Heilprin. Get full access to The Science Diplomat at www.thesciencediplomat.com/subscribe [https://www.thesciencediplomat.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

S1E1: Peter Gluckman on science advice, trust, and the limits of evidence

Season 1, Episode 1 — Peter Gluckman on science advice, trust, and the limits of evidence Scientific knowledge is increasingly invoked in governance at a time of geopolitical strain and institutional fragmentation. In this conversation, Sir Peter Gluckman, president of the International Science Council and former chief science advisor to the prime minister of New Zealand, reflects on what science can and cannot do inside political systems. Drawing on his experience in government and science diplomacy, Gluckman argues that science does not make policy; it informs choices that are ultimately shaped by trust, incentives, and competing values. He discusses the role of brokerage between scientific and political cultures, the importance of acknowledging uncertainty, and why humility and transparency are central to effective advice. The conversation also examines pressure on public research funding, the shift of discovery science into the private sector, internal weaknesses within the scientific system, the ethics and values underpinning global science, and the contested role of dis- and misinformation in shaping public trust. Themes covered: * Science advice versus political decision-making * Brokerage between scientific and policy cultures * Uncertainty, trust, and the limits of evidence * Research funding pressures and incentive systems * Ethical guardrails in a global scientific enterprise * Communication, polarization, and misinformation Recorded on January 27, 2026. Co-hosted by Amna Habiba, Bupe Chikumbi and John Heilprin. Get full access to The Science Diplomat at www.thesciencediplomat.com/subscribe [https://www.thesciencediplomat.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]