The Dementia Researcher Salon Debates bring together researchers to explore some of the most contested questions shaping dementia research and academic life.
Across ten live debates, speakers take opposing sides on clear motions and examine how science is funded, reviewed, governed, and delivered. Topics include the future of peer review, whether grant funding should be decided by lottery, the role of artificial intelligence, the continued use of animal models, and how we balance prevention, cure, and social care in dementia research.
The series also tackles the human side of research, debating genetic testing and ethics, working hours and burnout, teaching expectations for postdoctoral researchers, and what good leadership really looks like in academia.
Speakers across the debates include Kalliopi Mavromati [1], Byron Creese [2], Subhashisa Swain [3], Isabel Castanho [4], Eleanor Conole [5], Sarah Page [6], Luis Tojo [7], Oscar Lazo [8], Terry Quinn [9], Nancy Brown [10], Soraya Meftah [11], Michael Coleman [12], Loukia Katsouri [13], Vanessa De la Cruz Gongora [14], Wasiu Balogun [15], Sara Zsadanyi [16], Rachel Allen [17], Rebecca Williams [18], and Connor Richardson [19].
The debates are hosted by Adam Smith [20], with guest hosting from Anna Volkmer [21].
These sessions are not about finding easy answers or forcing consensus. Instead, they create space for respectful disagreement, careful thinking, and reflection on how dementia research works today and how it might work better.
All recordings are now freely available to watch as a complete playlist.
Should Teaching Be Required for Postdocs?