Who we are

The Royal Society is the independent scientific academy of the UK. Our aim is to recognize, promote and support excellence in science, and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity. The Society's fellows have played a part in some of the most fundamental, significant and life-changing discoveries in scientific history and Royal Society scientists continue to make outstanding contributions to science in many research ideas.

What we do

Our motto is " take nobody's word for it" and academic strictness is at the heart of everything we do. We are always seeking diverse and curiosity minds who can join us on our mission(使命)and help us in shaping tomorrow's society. Work with us and you will play a central role in promoting science and its benefits, recognizing excellence in scientific thinking, providing policy advice, developing international and global co-operation and engaging the general public.

What we offer

In return, we offer flexible working arrangements, extensive space for career development and a comprehensive package of benefits including：

•30 days' holiday (plus three given days)

•Generous pension provision (defined contribution scheme)

•Interest-free season ticket loan

•Subsidized medical and denial insurance

•Onsite restaurant

•Employee Assistance Program

We would like you to be aware of the Society’s position that animals are forbidden to be killed wastefully in research before applying for a role at the Royal Society.

Find us

Find out where we are by visiting the contact us page. If you would like to discuss one of our opportunities, please contact humanresources @society. org

Earlier this year, a physician emailed me to thank me for an essay I wrote. I couldn’t believe he could find the essay—after all, 18 years had passed since it was published. But he had found the piece—my first narrative (叙事体的) medicine article about my experience parenting a son with a complex medical disorder—in a drawer he was cleaning out as he prepared to retire. He had tracked me down to share how important such articles were to him during his years caring for patients. I was touched and reminded of how important these pieces were to my own professional and personal journey.

At the time, major medical journals were beginning to publish narrative pieces. I submitted my first article, hopeful that it might make a difference for others—and confirm some productivity during this time. But I was also nervous about the potential exposure. I was surprised and thrilled when it was accepted for publication, and readers’ sympathy, constructive responses alleviated my concerns about sharing my family’s story.

Over the following years. I somehow made it to a researcher. Our youngest daughter was born; our son was diagnosed (诊断) with Schwartz-Jampel syndrome (综合症); and I took 5 months away from my study to help him get the support services he needed. Through it all, the narrative articles continued to flow. Writing about our expended family of health care providers and the need for family mental health services was highly smooth, and reading st rangers’ responses was equally effective.

In the year after returning to my career. I wrote my first funded proposals, to study the impact of traumatic (创伤性) health care events on providers, patients, and families, and to examine why patients do or don’t seek help for depression. I probably would not have taken these directions with my research if the topics had not been such a vital part of my life. But I realized that there didn’t need to be a division between my personal pain and the enthusiasms that fueled my research. Instead. I could imagine and create a life that satisfied my needs for my research, my family, and myself.

In a conversation with an acquaintance, your brain might skip ahead, anticipating the words that the other person will say. Perhaps then you will cry out whatever comes to mind. Or maybe you will nurse your guess quietly, waiting to see if — out of all the hundreds of thousands of possibilities — your conversational partner will arrive at the same word you have been thinking of. Amazingly, your companion will often do so.

How does the brain do this? Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers brought a new take to the quest ion using a technique called integrative modeling. They compared dozens of machine-learning algorithms called neural networks to brain scans and other data. The researchers had a two-part goal: they wanted to figure out how the brain processes language and in doing so. expand on what machine-learning algorithms can teach us about the brain.

The modeling technique shows that a key role may be played by next-word prediction. which is central to algorithms such as those that suggest words as you write your texts and e-mails. The researchers discovered that models that expert at next-word prediction are also best at anticipating brain activity patterns and reading times. So it seems like these models are not just useful for presenting the word “want” after you have typed “do you” — or for allowing computers to complete any number of tasks from behind the scenes. They may all offer a window into how your brain makes sense of the flood of words coming out of your friend’s mouth.

The researchers claim that this study marks the first time that a machine-learning algorithm has been matched to brain data to explain the workings of a high-level cognitive task. The finding suggests that predictive processing is central to how we understand language and proves how artificial neural networks can offer key insights into cognition.

“I did not think this would happen in my lifetime.” says Evelina Fedorenko, a cognitive neuroscientist at M. I. T. “These models are much better than I would have predicted, relative to human neural data. That just opens up all sorts of doors.”