Geraint Rees

"Most politicians still see higher education as an academic exercise, but we no longer let research gather dust." In this op-ed, Professor Geraint Rees explores how universities have become generators of high-growth companies: uclenterprise.org/4fxbisX

"In the coming weeks, as politicians debate how to drive growth, I predict universities will go unmentioned. I challenge them to prove me wrong." A must-read from @profgeraintrees , Vice-Provost of @ucl, in The Times yesterday, making the case that universities aren't just knowledge producers. They're generating high-growth companies, anchoring innovation ecosystems, and turning publicly funded research into real economic impact. In short, they're at the heart of Britain's growth story. Politicians serious about growth need to back universities to go further and faster. We're delighted to support UCL in continuing to champion that case where it matters most. 👇 thetimes.com/article/5aaace…

"Writing is thinking." This phrase went viral recently (from lnkd.in/gYj2c9uE), often quoted in the context of objections to use of AI in drafting academic prose. In Nature Reviews Bioengineering we respond: "Thinking is not only writing." Preview below. Shareable full access link: rdcu.be/fiuYi

The one skill that the next generation needs more than ever | The Independent independent.co.uk/arts-entertain…

UCL’s final full day in Nairobi 🇰🇪 brought together partners across urban health, public health research, policy and innovation, including @UNHABITAT, @APHRC, Kenya’s State Department for Science, Research and Innovation, and @MastercardFdn Research Lab Africa. #UCLandAfrica

Fourteenth book of 2026 finished. A cracking read and highly relevant to the state of the world today…

The task is not to find the institution with the highest rank but to find the environment that will expose students to diverse ways of thinking, writes @profgeraintrees, Vice-Provost-Research, Innovation and Global Engagement, @ucl. #BeyondRankings tinyurl.com/2awvtapm

📍 Nairobi 🇰🇪 @UCL met partners at the @uonbi, the @UKinKenya, and @StrathU, discussing shared priorities across urbanisation, entrepreneurship, health systems, AI and applied technologies, aligned with the UK–Kenya science and technology partnership. #UCLandAfrica

Fantastic to meet our @UCT_news colleagues. It’s an incredible partnership for us but also one with huge potential!

.@UCL met with the @UCT_news to discuss strengthening and scaling our strategic partnership, with leadership discussions identifying new opportunities for collaboration. #UCLandAfrica #UCLHealth

Prof Tivani Mashamba-Thompson @ThompsonTivani attended a high-level roundtable at British High Commission in Pretoria yesterday. Engaging discussions centred on SA’s evolving health priorities & explored ways to strengthen UK-South Africa collaboration. @ukinsouthafrica @UPTuks

This week, @UCL is visiting South Africa and Kenya to strengthen partnerships and explore collaboration across health, climate and AI. Led by @profgeraintrees, the visit brings together universities, policy partners and innovation actors. #UCLandAfrica

Thirteenth book of 2026 finished. Absolutely fascinating. And a bit depressing.

In this op-ed Professor Geraint Rees, UCL Vice-Provost of Research, Innovation & Global Engagement, reflects on Britain’s position as an AI power. He explores how for the UK to fully realise its AI ambitions, it must build on its collaboration with France: bit.ly/4w0wzBh

📣 Two op-eds, one important message! Professor @profgeraintrees, UCL's Vice-Provost for Research, Innovation & Global Engagement, makes the case for universities' vital role in driving innovation and delivering growth. On @LBC, he calls for universities to be at the heart of a push for more entrepreneurs. Universities don't just produce spinouts: they produce the risk-takers, the curious minds, and the people willing to bet on uncertain outcomes that entrepreneurship depends on. In @UKTNofficial, he turns to the AI opportunity. Britain has a £500m Sovereign AI commitment and serious homegrown talent. But Geraint argues we're overlooking a major asset - the connections across the Channel. The London-Paris corridor could be our Boston-New York. We just need to start treating it that way. We're proud to work with @ucl to help place the voices of world-leading academics where they can shape the conversations that matter. 👉 LBC: lbc.co.uk/article/univer… 👉 UKTN: uktech.news/opinion/sovere…

Delighted to share this piece where I highlight the crucial role of research-intensive universities like UCL in cultivating a culture of entrepreneurship in the UK... Universities are still where British entrepreneurship is born lbc.co.uk/article/univer…

NHS recruitment crisis leaves graduates wondering if they will get work - A shocking failure to understand workforce needs by all concerned from educator to employer. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

📍 @UCL delegation now in Paris 🇫🇷 Our delegation visit starts today, continuing UCL’s longstanding collaboration with partners across research, education and innovation. See a snapshot of our connections with France — more to come from Paris soon #UCLEurope

An increasingly coherent picture of the impact of AI on jobs, by @jburnmurdoch @ft: 1. New Fed paper by Crane and Soto now confirms with official labor force survey data what private payroll analysis was showing: roughly 500,000 fewer coders are working than pre-LLM trends would predict. 2. Argues evidence consistent with my work (with Lin and Wu, link in my pinned post) on weak/strong bundles: junior developers and contractors hold "weak bundles" (their work is mostly standalone coding that AI can substitute directly), senior developers hold "tight bundles" where coding is combined with domain expertise, judgment, and cross-functional responsibilities, making substitution much harder. 3. Freund & Mann and Gans & Goldfarb add a second lens: what matters is the value of the tasks that survive automation. Remove coding from a senior role and you free up time for higher-value work; remove it from a junior role and almost nothing remains. ft.com/content/b69f85…

Twelfth book of 2026 finished - what a read! The reviews aren’t wrong - it’s a masterpiece