Last updated on: 3/3/2010 | Author: ProCon.org

Susan Greenfield, DPhil Biography

Title:
Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Oxford
Position:
Con to the question "Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?"
Reasoning:

“Social networking sites might tap into the basic brain systems for delivering pleasurable experience. However, these experiences are devoid of cohesive narrative and long-term significance. As a consequence, the mid-21st century mind might almost be infantilised, characterised by short attention spans, sensationalism, inability to empathise and a shaky sense of identity.”

Speech to the UK House of Lords, Feb. 12, 2009
Involvement and Affiliations:
  • Chancellor, Heriot-Watt University, 2006-present
  • Member, House of Lords (appointed by Tony Blair), 2001-present
  • Professor, Pharmacology, Oxford University, 1996-present
  • Director, Royal Institution of Great Britain, 1998 – Jan. 8, 2010
  • Listed as one of the 25 most influential women in the UK, She magazine, 2009
  • Voted one of the 100 most influential women in Britain, Daily Mail, 2003
  • Recipient, Golden Plate Award, Academy of Achievement, May 2003
  • Recipient, Ordre National de la Legion d’Honneur, 2003
  • Appointed, CBE (Commander of the British Empire), 2000
  • Recipient, Michael Faraday medal, Royal Society, 1998
  • Professor, Medicine, Gresham College, 1995-1998
  • Teacher, Pharmacology, Oxford University, 1985-1996
Education:
  • DPhil, Pharmacology, Oxford
  • BA, St. Hilda’s College at Oxford
Other:
  • Titles include “Baroness” and “Lady”
  • Has been awarded 30 honorary degrees from British and foreign universities
  • In 1994, was the first woman to give the Royal Institution Christmas lectures
Quoted in:
Pro & Con Quotes: Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?