Benjamin Plackett
Since 2013, Benjamin has been travelling to the Arab world to tell stories of science and research, sometimes in recent post-conflict zones. He’s met researchers, who at great personal risk, hurriedly buried their expensive lab equipment as ISIS approached Mosul and he’s interviewed university administrators attempting to rebuild the region’s answer to Oxbridge even as terrorist attacks continue to threaten the campus. His work has been published by Scientific American, Associated Press, CNN, and Engadget amongst others. He has an M.A. in journalism from New York University and a B.Sci. in biology from Imperial College, London.
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News & Reports
Across the Arab Region, Covid-19 Has Scrambled Scientists’ Plans
Arab researchers have changed gears to find a way to help fight Covid-19 or understand its impact.
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News & Reports
Covid-19 Puts New Focus on Arab Youths’ Mental Health Needs
Young people report higher levels of anxiety and depression since the pandemic arrived. Researchers have begun exploring this phenomenon and…
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News & Reports
Jordanian Researchers Create a Cheaper, Faster Coronavirus Test
Researchers in Jordan have developed a new way to extract genetic material from a virus to speed up coronavirus tests.
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News & Reports
Public Health Experts Are Often Missing From Arab World’s Coronavirus Battle
Public health researchers in the wealthier Arab countries say they’ve been working with governments for months. But the region’s poorest,…
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News & Reports
A Look at the Evidence: Do Jobs Create Peace?
The research is at times conflicting, but experts believe that employment ultimately can help foster social harmony in the right…
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Opinion
‘Talk to Me,’ Urges a Science Journalist Working in the Arab World
A science journalist who has covered the Arab world for six years discovers a stark contrast in communication when he…
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News & Reports
Making Better Mentors: It’s Not Just an Art, It’s a Science
A new report brings together data from many studies to offer recommendations for more-effective mentorship of young researchers.
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News & Reports
Emirates’ Strong Research Growth Is Charted by New Study
The United Arab Emirates has seen an average growth in research produced of 15 percent annually over almost two decades.…
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News & Reports
Engineers in Sharjah Are 3D-Printing Future Homes
The technology uses smart, robotic machines that could help countries continue building houses—or even refugee settlements—in times of emergency or…
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News & Reports
Shifting Desert Winds Could Turn Arabian Fisheries Barren
Large populations around the Arabian Sea, from India to Yemen, depend on its fish stocks, which are sustained in part…
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