Research students are driven by passion

India had a special visitor during the weekend — Sir Paul Nurse, who was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for discoveries around the cdc2 gene and protein molecules that control cell division.

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His research has been foundational in treating cancer. He is the former president of Rockefeller University, former president of the Royal Society, director of Francis Crick Institute in London, and in November he will become the first person to lead the Royal Society for a second time. He was chief guest at Ashoka University's 11th convocation ceremony on May 24, and wants the brightest Indian biomedical minds to work towards advancing scientific research. In an interview with FE's Vikram Chaudhary, Sir Nurse talked about cell cycle and cancer, the future of biomedical science in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), and how to strengthen research ecosystems in Indian universities.

Excerpts: You're a scientist, but also a teacher. Should students be taking part in non-academic activities on the campus, of the like we have seen in some American universities? Should a researcher be protesting about geopolitical issues?

Universities are a place for debate, but we have seen a lot of cancel culture. Cancel culture is this practice of withdrawing support for individuals or organisations in response to their perceived actions. I am a liberal, and I think we should argue about everything. At the end of the day, there is real value in diversity of ideas — and healthy discussions end up making the world a better place.

What kind of students go into research? Is there good money?