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Brian Martin (born 1947) is a social scientist in the School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, at the
University of Wollongong The University of Wollongong (abbreviated as UOW) is an Australian public research university located in the coastal city of Wollongong, New South Wales, approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney. As of 2017, the university had an enrolment of ...
(UOW) in NSW, Australia. He was appointed a professor at the university in 2007, and in 2017 was appointed
emeritus professor ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
. His work is in the fields of peace research, scientific controversies,
science and technology studies Science and technology studies (STS) is an interdisciplinary field that examines the creation, development, and consequences of science and technology in their historical, cultural, and social contexts. History Like most interdisciplinary fie ...
, sociology, political science, media studies, law, journalism,
freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...
, education and corrupted institutions, as well as research on
whistleblowing A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...
and
dissent Dissent is an opinion, philosophy or sentiment of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or policy enforced under the authority of a government, political party or other entity or individual. A dissenting person may be referred to as ...
in the context of
science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...
. Martin was president of
Whistleblowers Australia Whistleblowers Australia Inc. is an association for those who have exposed corruption or any form of malpractice, especially if they were then hindered or abused, and for those who are thinking of exposing it, or who wish to support those who are ...
from 1996 to 1999 and remains their International Director. He has been criticized by medical professionals and public health advocates for promoting the disproven oral polio vaccine AIDS hypothesis and supporting
vaccine hesitancy Vaccine hesitancy is a delay in acceptance, or refusal, of vaccines despite the availability of vaccine services and supporting evidence. The term covers refusals to vaccinate, delaying vaccines, accepting vaccines but remaining uncertain abou ...
in the context of his work. Martin has spoken at a
British Science Association The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...
Festival of Science, and testified at the Australian Federal Senate's Inquiry into Academic Freedom. The crustacean ''
Polycheles ''Polycheles'' is a genus of decapods within the family Polychelidae The family Polychelidae contains thirty-eight extant species of blind, benthic lobster-like crustaceans. They are found throughout the world's tropical, sub-tropical and temp ...
martini'' was named after him.


Research and academia

Martin was born in the United States in 1947 and raised in
Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region wit ...
. He earned a BA in physics at
Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...
in Texas in 1969, and, seeking to avoid conscription into the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, emigrated to Australia, where he earned a PhD in physics at the
University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
in 1976. Martin's original academic field was
theoretical physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experim ...
, and he worked in both stratospheric modelling and numerical methods during his career. He has published extensively about the social dynamics and politicisation of controversial scientific topics. His topics of inquiry have included the globalization of polarised science such as the origin of HIV/AIDS. He argues that there are situations in which scientific research that threatens vested interests can be suppressed. He describes a number of direct and indirect mechanisms through which he argues that this can occur, ranging from the denial of funds and the denial of promotion and tenure, through to the creation of a "general climate of fear". Martin's work on in this area has provided what Delborne describes as a "key foundation for conceptualizing scientific dissent". Martin has been criticised for supporting the incorrect proposal that oral polio vaccine caused AIDS. The hypothesis first came to notice in ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' magazine by way of journalist Curtis and AIDS activist Elswood in 1992, and was later further promoted by the journalist/writer Hooper and Martin, with Hooper crediting Martin for giving the OPV-AIDS link hypothesis "further publicity and credibility". Martin disputes the claim that he has been a supporter of the hypothesis, instead saying that he has "never argued in favour of the OPV theory", but has instead stated "that it was and remains worthy of consideration yet in many ways has been unfairly dismissed". A 2016 article in ''
The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...
'' described Martin's 2010 paper as claiming "that medical researchers had colluded to silence the theory that the AIDS virus was caused by contaminated polio vaccines in 1950s Africa." Martin has been active in the criticism of university systems. He has criticized conflicts of interest where universities are managing internal investigations that may lead to bad publicity, and recommends having independent groups investigate allegations of misconduct; he has written about the unauthorised use of research produced by students and junior researchers by senior academics; and he has been outspoken against sexual relationships between staff and students. He also reports that any bias within universities could simply be due to students strategically working in-line with the biases of their teachers. Martin was subjected to an attempted academic gag when he published material about the forced retirement of a
University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...
academic. His university instructed him to remove the content from his website after Adelaide University threatened to sue. Martin's published material in question is now found on other websites. Martin believes that if complainants go through the official channels the outcome is very predictable, in that the organisation's internal grievance procedures, or making a complaint to the relevant ombudsman, does not work. He also believes whistleblower laws do not work, saying; "Not only are whistleblower laws flawed through exemptions and in-built weaknesses but in their implementation they are rarely helpful".


Criticism

In April 2001, Martin published an article in defence of a sacked academic at UOW in the national newspaper ''The Australian.'' In a response published in the same paper, the Vice-Chancellor of
Murdoch University Murdoch University is a public university in Perth, Western Australia, with campuses also in Singapore and Dubai. It began operations as the state's second university on 25 July 1973, and accepted its first undergraduate students in 1975. Its n ...
Steven Schwartz accused Martin of a position supporting the concept of a "laissez-faire attitude towards academic freedom (in which all sides are presented impartially)" saying his "approach to academic freedom is neither logical nor practical" as this approach "forces universities to abandon their most cherished values: scholarship, wisdom and truth". Immunologist and research scientist Greg Woods refuted Martin's posit on the Tasmanian devil facial tumour disease stating Martin's 2014 paper in ''The Conversation'' on the theory behind the cancer "misrepresents the state of the science". In 2014, Martin published a paper characterising criticism of
Andrew Wakefield Andrew Jeremy Wakefield (born September 3, 1956) is a British anti-vaccine activist, former physician, and discredited academic who was struck off the medical register for his involvement in ''The Lancet'' MMR autism fraud, a 1998 study that ...
's discredited claims about vaccines and autism as "suppression of vaccination dissent". Published online: 23 March 2014. In 2016, an Agence Science-Presse piece accused Martin of defending "the idea of a vaccine-autism link." However, Martin disputes this, saying: "I have never defended this idea." ''
The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...
'' reported that "Martin is a former paid member of the anti-vaccine
Australian Vaccination Network The Australian Vaccination-risks Network Inc., formerly known as the Australian Vaccination-Skeptics Network (AVsN), and before that known as the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN), is an Australian anti-vaccination pressure group registered ...
", and that Martin states that he is also a member of the American Skeptics Society. Martin has been criticised for his role in the Judith Wilyman PhD controversy where medical academics and the
AMA Ama or AMA may refer to: Ama Languages * Ama language (New Guinea) * Ama language (Sudan) People * Ama (Ama Kōhei), former ring name for sumo wrestler Harumafuji Kōhei * Mary Ama, a New Zealand artist * Shola Ama, a British singer * Ām ...
raised concerns of whether Martin had the necessary knowledge to assess her doctorate which discussed
vaccine A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious or malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verified.
science. ''The Australian'' has criticised him as not recognising academic rigour over
academic freedom Academic freedom is a moral and legal concept expressing the conviction that the freedom of inquiry by faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy as well as the principles of academia, and that scholars should have freedom to teach ...
, and surgeon John Cunningham called on the University to have the thesis "reviewed by people whom have knowledge of vaccinations". In 2016, the
Australian Skeptics Australian Skeptics is a loose confederation of like-minded organisations across Australia that began in 1980. Australian Skeptics investigate paranormal and pseudoscientific claims using scientific methodologies. This page covers all Australia ...
criticised Martin's supervision of Wilyman by presenting Martin, Wilyman and the Social Sciences Department of the University of Wollongong the satirical Bent Spoon Award for awarding "a PhD thesis riddled with errors, misstatements, poor and unsupported 'evidence' and conspiratorial thinking".


Publications


Books

* ''Truth tactics'' (Sparsnäs, Sweden: Irene Publishing, 2021) * ''Official channels'' (Sparsnäs, Sweden: Irene Publishing, 2020) * Jørgen Johansen and Brian Martin. ''Social defence'' (Sparsnäs, Sweden: Irene Publishing, 2019) * ''Vaccination panic in Australia (Sparsnäs, Sweden: Irene Publishing, 2018) * ''The deceptive activist'' (Sparsnäs, Sweden: Irene Publishing, 2017). * ''Ruling tactics: methods of promoting everyday nationalism, how they serve rulers and how to oppose them'' (Sparsnäs, Sweden: Irene Publishing, 2017). * ''Nonviolence Unbound'' (Sparsnäs, Sweden: Irene Publishing, 2015). * ''The Controversy Manual'' (Sparsnäs, Sweden: Irene Publishing, 2014). * ''Doing Good Things Better'' (Sparsnäs, Sweden: Irene Publishing, 2013) * ''Justice Ignited: The Dynamics of Backfire'', (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007). * (with Wendy Varney). ''Nonviolence Speaks: Communicating against Repression'', (Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, 2003). * ''Nonviolence versus capitalism,'' (London: War Resisters' International, 2001). * ''Technology for Nonviolent Struggle'', (London: War Resisters' International, 2001). * (with Lyn Carson). ''Random Selection in Politics'', (Westport, CT: Praeger, 1999). * ''The Whistleblower's Handbook: How to Be an Effective Resister'', (Charlbury, UK: Jon Carpenter; Sydney: Envirobook, 1999). Updated and republished 2013 as ''Whistleblowing: a practical guide'', (Sparsnäs, Sweden: Irene Publishing) * ''Information Liberation'', (London: Freedom Press, 1998). * ''Tied Knowledge: Power in Higher Education'', (self-published, 1998). * ''Suppression Stories'', (Wollongong: Fund for Intellectual Dissent, 1997). * ''Social Defence, Social Change'', (London: Freedom Press, 1993). * ''Scientific Knowledge in Controversy: The Social Dynamics of the Fluoridation Debate,'' (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991). * (with C. M. Ann Baker, Clyde Manwell & Cedric Pugh) ''Intellectual Suppression: Australian Case Histories, Analysis and Responses,'' (Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1986) * ''Uprooting war'', (London: Freedom Press, 1984). * ''The Bias of Science'' (Society for Social Responsibility in Science, 1979)


Journal articles in the physical sciences

His most cited papers are: * , cited 54 times * Davies, B.; Martin, B. (1979) Numerical Inversion of the Laplace Transform: a Survey and Comparison of Methods. ''Journal of Computational Physics.'' 33(1), pages 1–32, cited 749 times.Google Scholar, https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=eWD7VZ4AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao * , cited 27 times


Other journal articles (selection)

* Brian Martin (1990)
Captives of Controversy: The Myth of the Neutral Social Researcher in Contemporary Scientific Controversies
'' Science, Technology, & Human Values'', Vol. 15, No. 4, Fall 1990, pp. 474–494 * * Juan Miguel Campanario & Brian Martin (2004)
Challenging dominant physics paradigms
'' Journal of Scientific Exploration'', vol. 18, no. 3, Fall 2004, pp. 421–438. * David Hess & Brian Martin (2006)
Repression, backfire, and the theory of transformative events
''
Mobilization Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories an ...
'', Vol. 11, No. 1, June 2006, pp. 249–267. * Published online: 23 March 2014.


References


External links


Personal home page

Brian Martin
University of Wollongong {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Brian 1947 births Living people Australian activists Nonviolence advocates University of Wollongong faculty Rice University alumni Free speech activists Vaccine hesitancy Criticism of science AIDS origin hypotheses