Patrick Parkinson - Physics · Strategy · Innovation
  • About
  • Essays
  • Research
  • Lab
  • Contact
big-data for nano-electronics

Presentation Prize: Stephen Church at Rank Prize Symposium

  • Patrick Parkinson

Patrick Parkinson

15 Nov 2022

Group postdoc Stephen Church was awarded the “best early-career-researcher” presentation prize at the Rank Prize Symposium meeting in Grasmere. The meeting Nanowire Photonics was chaired by Prof. Martin Dawson (Strathclyde), Prof. Hannah Joyce (Cambridge) and Prof. Michael Johnston (Oxford).

Congratulations to Stephen!

The Opportunity Cost of Misdirected Talent: An ARPA Counterfactual

The Opportunity Cost of Misdirected Talent: An ARPA Counterfactual

ARPA vs NSF: directed 'pins' vs curiosity-led 'gradients' - the two most-copied research funding models in history. We can't predict the next Pasteur. But we can stop funding the next Red Balloon. UKRI bucket 2 isn't wrong - but redirecting talent without bounding the downside isn't strategy.
03 Jul 2026 8 min read
Is Research a Sport, a Market or a Commons?

Is Research a Sport, a Market or a Commons?

Is academic research a sport, a business, or a commons? As UK universities face unprecedented financial strain, we confront an uncomfortable truth: the sector is simply too large for the available funding. We've passed the 'Szilard point' - and it’s time to manage the market reality.
15 Jun 2026 7 min read
A Start Up is (Not) All You Need: Exploring the Innovation Design Space

A Start Up is (Not) All You Need: Exploring the Innovation Design Space

Seen through a one-dimensional lens - public research on the left, commercial spin-out on the right - ARIA's investments look indefensible. But the map is wrong, not the decisions.
12 May 2026 5 min read
Patrick Parkinson - Physics · Strategy · Innovation © 2026
Powered by Ghost