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Can the ideological emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) slow down the progress of science? 

Our guest today is Anna Krylov, professor of chemistry at the University of Southern California and an advocate for maintaining meritocracy in scientific funding and evaluation. She joins John Tomasi to discuss critical tensions in today's scientific landscape.

Krylov addresses the potential social costs of slower scientific progress due to ideological influences, particularly DEI, which she argues undermines public trust in scientific institutions. This episode delves into the fraught terrain of funding in academia and the impact of DEI mandates, examining how these changes may contribute to public mistrust and the erosion of merit-based systems.

In This Episode:

• The effects of DEI mandates on scientific funding

• The importance of merit-based funding in academia

• The rise of "citation justice" and its impact on scholarly recognition

• Gender quotas and their potential implications for scientific standards

• Critical social justice influences on scientific practices

About Anna:

Anna Krylov is a Professor of Chemistry at USC and a leading figure in theoretical and computational quantum chemistry. Born in Ukraine, she earned her degrees from Moscow State University and the Hebrew University. Krylov's research focuses on methods for electronic excited species and has led to over 300 publications. She has received numerous awards, including the Dirac Medal, and is a Fellow of various scientific societies. An advocate for gender equality in STEM, she also promotes academic freedom and authored the impactful paper "The Peril of Politicizing Science."

Links:

Censorship in the Sciences Conference: https://dornsife.usc.edu/cesr/censorship-in-the-sciences-interdisciplinary-perspectives/