Donald W. Braben is a British

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

and Honorary Professor in the Office of the Vice-Provost (Research),

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

Education

Braben was educated at the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

where he was awarded a PhD in 1962 for work on

Isotopes of sodium There are 22 isotopes of sodium (11Na), ranging from to , and two isomers ( and ). is the only stable (and the only primordial) isotope. It is considered a monoisotopic element and it has a standard atomic weight of . Sodium has two radioactiv ...

Research

Braben is a well-known advocate of

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 teac ...

blue skies research Blue skies research (also called blue sky science) is scientific research in domains where "real-world" applications are not immediately apparent. It has been defined as "research without a clear goal" and "curiosity-driven science". It is someti ...

, and the culture of science. Braben is the author of "To Be a Scientist: The Spirit of Adventure in Science and Technology", (OUP 1994), ''Pioneering Research: A Risk Worth Taking'' (Wiley 2004) and ''Scientific Freedom: The Elixir of Civilization'' (Wiley 2008), ''Promoting the Planck Club. How defiant youth, irreverent researchers and liberated universities can foster prosperity indefinitely'' (Wiley 2014). Scientific Freedom: The Elixir of Civilisation was republished by Stripe Press in 2020 with a new Introduction. Braben is now trying to persuade universities to recreate the considerable success he has had with the BP sponsored Venture Research Unit (1980–90), and later at University College London (2009 - ). Venture Research is the research that has a good chance of radically changing the way we think in an important field and is selected in face-to-face discussion.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Braben, Donald British science writers British physicists 1935 births Living people