Patrick Ball and Kelly Cobey awarded the 2024 Nature Awards John Maddox Prizes for standing up for science
Patrick Ball, winner of the Maddox Prize, recognised for the identification, cataloguing and prosecution of war crimes, and Kelly Cobey winner of the Early Career Research award, celebrated for her implementation of open science in research assessment
London | New York | Berlin, 6 November 2024
The Nature Awards John Maddox Prize, in partnership with Sense About Science, proudly recognises Patrick Ball with the John Maddox Prize and Kelly Cobey with the Maddox Early Career Award, for standing up for science in the public interest:
- Patrick Ball has been recognised for his outstanding work in identifying, cataloguing and prosecuting war crimes using rigorous statistical and mathematical modelling. Patrick has spent thirty years working on quantitative analysis for truth commissions, non-governmental organisations, international criminal tribunals, and United Nations missions. Patrick has analysed data on human rights violations and killings from Bosnia, Timor-Leste, Guatemala, Colombia, El Salvador, Peru, Syria, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, and even the USA. Notably, he served as a witness in 2021 at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia against Slobodan Milosevic, the former President of Serbia.
Commenting on their decision to award Patrick Ball the Maddox Prize, the judging panel declared that Patrick, “has steadfastly advocated for introducing rigour in cataloguing human rights abuses despite limited resources. He is among the pioneering figures who have brought statistical analysis to this critical field, which has been instrumental in advancing the understanding of such violations.”
- Kelly Cobey is the Director of the Metaresearch and Open Science Program at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. She is being celebrated for her work on implementing open science and advocacy for the need to reform research assessment. Kelly is particularly well-known for her critical analysis of the rising problem of “predatory” journals, which lure scientific authors with false or misleading information, poor quality or no peer review, and aggressive solicitation practices.
The judging panel noted that Kelly, “tackles deep and thorny issues and proactively provides scientists with tools to assist and encourage them in adopting open science practices. This is revolutionary work, which, as the nominee notes, is “not a role/service that most academic systems traditionally value.”
The John Maddox Prize, now in its 13th year, is a partnership between The Nature Awards (part of Springer Nature) and Sense about Science, that seeks to recognise individuals who stand up and speak out for evidence-based policy. The award advocates for advancing public discussion around difficult topics, despite challenges or hostility, and recognises those who are making a change in public discourse or policy.
Magdalena Skipper, Editor in Chief, Nature said:
“The importance of evidence-based science being widely and accurately communicated cannot be overstated; especially as disinformation becomes ever more common and harder to tell apart from factual information. Policy and public discussion must be guided by evidence-based scientific inquiry. The John Maddox Prize, for standing up for science, has an important role in recognising those who speak out and stand up for facts and evidence. Alongside Sense about Science, it is our privilege to celebrate the work that Kelly Cobey and Patrick Ball have made in stimulating public discourse firmly grounded in science.”
Tracey Brown, director of Sense about Science and a judge, further commented:
“The Maddox Prize celebrates individuals who bring research evidence to public debate, and who persevere when it is difficult to do that. Each year we see different problems for researchers around the world – from online cancellation and SLAPP suits to certain subjects just being a real struggle to progress.
The shortlist this year reveals significant institutional challenges facing researchers. As the Maddox prize applauds the efforts of individuals to communicate evidence, we should all be asking universities, professional associations and other bodies to match that effort, by tackling bad practice and supporting researchers who advance evidence on difficult subjects.”
“Our winners, Kelly Cobey and Patrick Ball, are to be congratulated for their impressive impact, but also for taking such responsibility for the way that evidence is being used to make decisions – in the evaluation of research and in the international criminal justice system.”
This award forms part of a suite of awards led by Nature Awards, which seek to provide a platform for all researchers to be able to share their work and communicate their impact, recognising the vital role that research plays in driving society forward. More on the awards programme can be found here.
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