Steven Rose is an internationally renowned British neurobiologist and Professor Emeritus at the Open University. Born into an Orthodox Jewish family, although he became a secular humanist in his adult life, his early cultural roots deeply influenced his commitment to social ethics. He is not only a dedicated laboratory scientist but also a critical public intellectual who has spent decades exploring the complex intersections of biology, society, and politics.
Regarding his professional achievements, Rose is hailed as a leader of the “radical science” movement, having made pioneering contributions to the study of the molecular mechanisms of memory. His most widely recognized accomplishment is his sharp critique of biological determinism; his co-authored book, Not in Our Genes, has become a classic, challenging the reductionist view that human behavior is dictated solely by genetics. As a co-founder of the British Society for Social Responsibility in Science, he has consistently argued that scientists must take moral responsibility for the social consequences of their work.
This commitment to scientific responsibility made Rose a pioneer in the international academic movement for Palestinian rights; in 2002, he and his wife, Hilary Rose, co-authored the first high-profile call for an academic boycott of Israel. As a co-founder of the British Committee for the Universities of Palestine (BRICUP), he firmly opposes decoupling academic research from political oppression, arguing that science should not serve as a shield for injustice. One of his most notable assertions is that “science cannot be divorced from the political context in which it is practiced.” He has poignantly stated that it is precisely his Jewish heritage’s pursuit of justice that makes the denial of Palestinian rights intolerable to him.