Event Recap: Public Science is for The People with Jason Coupet
On April 9, 2025, Jason Coupet delivered a lecture titled "Public Science is for The People" at NYU Wagner’s Main Event Space. Coupet, an associate professor at Georgia State University, is the recipient of the 2025 Jacob K. Javits Professorship at NYU, which is awarded to scholars who have made significant contributions in areas related to public welfare, and is serving as a visiting professor at NYU Wagner this spring.
During his lecture, Coupet argued that public science must be rooted in service to the people. He emphasized that research should move beyond theoretical realms and directly engage with real-world challenges. Coupet called for scholars to adopt community-driven approaches to knowledge production, advocating for the democratization of science by co-creating research with communities rather than merely studying them.
He also criticized academia’s tendency to reward abstract innovation over practical relevance, stressing that publicly funded research must lead to public benefit. To achieve this, he called for greater institutional support for community partnerships and more inclusive, accessible scholarly communication.
Ultimately, Coupet challenged researchers to rethink their purpose and impact, encouraging them to build trust, amplify marginalized voices, and make their work truly accountable to the communities they aim to serve.