
Science and SocietyEthics, Science, and the Public
Transformative scientific advances fuel societal progress; they also come with great responsibility.
Major scientific breakthroughs deepen our understanding of the universe, nature, and ourselves. Such discoveries have the potential to transform our everyday lives, yet the same science that holds promise for progress often raises concerns and questions for society. Who bears responsibility for broad ethical considerations for scientific discoveries? When is it optimal to evaluate implications and risks? How can publics be empowered to take part in the dialogue?
Motivated by our founder’s vision to advance science for the benefit of humanity, we work with partners to engage the public in the ethical and societal implications that accompany breakthrough discoveries.
Kavli Centers for Ethics, Science, and the
Public
The Kavli Centers for Ethics, Science, and the Public focus on addressing an as-yet unmet need within all of science: a proactive and sustained effort to connect scientists, ethicists, social scientists, science communicators, and the public to discuss potential impacts of scientific discoveries.

Civic Science Fellow
As part of the Civic Science Fellows program, The Kavli Foundation is supporting Lomax Boyd, a fellow at the Berman Institute in partnership with the Kavli Neurodiscovery Institute at Johns Hopkins University. His research focuses on designing new methods for engaging the public on new and emerging scientific discoveries, such as neural organoids.
Learn moreThe future will be more spectacular than any of us can imagine.
Fred Kavli
Science and Society
UC Berkeley’s Kavli Center for Ethics, Science, and the Public announces its first fellows
Jun 08, 2023
Science and Society Profile
Lea Witkowsky, executive director of the UC Berkeley Kavli Center for Ethics, Science, and the Public, creates opportunities for students to explore social and ethical dimensions of scientific discoveries
Jan 19, 2023
Science and Society
Understanding why different people want to engage with science, or not, and why
Aug 16, 2022