David Matthews

I'm the international editor at Science|Business, covering global research and technology policy - everything from the regulation of AI to the scientific rivalry between the United States and China. You can read my stories here. Before joining Science|Business, I was Europe correspondent at Times Higher Education. I'm based in Berlin.

I also write on a freelance basis, focusing on technology. I’ve written for outlets including Nature, the Guardian, The Register, UploadVR and the British Journalism Review. Here are a selection of my articles.

Email: david.jack.removethisifyourehumanmatthews@gmail.com

Science|Business • 21st December 2021

A new type of powerful artificial intelligence could make EU’s new law obsolete

The EU’s proposed artificial intelligence act fails to fully take into account the recent rise of an ultra-powerful new type of AI, meaning the legislation will rapidly become obsolete as the technology is deployed in novel and unexpected ways.

Nature • 1st March 2021

How to get started in quantum computing

Tempted to try your hand at a new technique? These tools will help you on your way.

Times Higher Education • 25th June 2020

Pandemic lockdown holding back female academics

An unequal childcare burden is blamed for a fall in the share of published research by women since schools shut.

Times Higher Education • 24th October 2019

Researchers concerned as tech giants choke off access to data

We have unprecedented quantities of data about our online behaviour. But academics say social media firms are restricting access, leaving us in the dark about our digital society.

Times Higher Education • 2nd May 2019

What can virtual reality tell us about real-world psychology?

Psychologists are increasingly using VR to understand our behaviour. But do humans really act in the virtual world as they do in reality? And does it matter?

Nature • 2nd October 2018

Supercharge your data wrangling with a graphics card

Graphics processing units aren’t just of interest to gamers and cryptocurrency miners. Increasingly, they’re being used to turbocharge academic research, too.

Times Higher Education • 19th July 2018

Is the academy too close to Silicon Valley?

After the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the entanglement of the academic and tech worlds faces increased scrutiny. Will academics still be able to access social media companies’ data? And is Silicon Valley denuding universities of their top researchers?

Nature • 30th April 2018

Virtual-reality applications give science a new dimension

Virtual- and augmented-reality tools allow researchers to view and share data as never before. But so far, they remain largely the tools of early adopters.

The Register • 16th January 2018

Amount of pixels needed to make VR less crap may set your PC on fire

Engineers are grappling with how to make headset displays match up with what we can biologically handle. If they fail, VR could hit a ceiling where it requires too much computing power to make virtual worlds look realistic.

UploadVR • 9th March 2017

Why Smells Are So Difficult To Simulate For Virtual Reality

Smell is central to how we perceive and remember the world, and without it VR will arguably always be a bloodless imitation of reality.