The Neuroscience & Society Network (NSN) was founded in 2000 to provide a multidisciplinary forum for engagement with the social, political and economic implications of developments in neuroscience, and to build links and dialogue between social scientists, neuroscientists, researchers, clinicians and policy makers.
From June 2007 to June 2012 it worked under the title of the European Neuroscience and Society Network (ENSN), funded by the European Science Foundation. Chaired by Professor Nikolas Rose, the ENSN was convened by researchers in the BIOS centre at the London School of Economics (LSE). The ENSN final report includes an overview of the network's activities and publications between 2007-2013
The NSN is now based within Global Health & Social Medicine at King's College London, and funded since 2013 by the European Science Foundation, the Economic and Social Research Council through the King's Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Centre (KISS DTC), the Independent Social Research Foundation (ISRF), and the King’s Together Seed Fund.
The aim of the network is to continue to bring together a global network of scholars, from the natural, life and social sciences and humanities, with policymakers, science journalists, and when appropriate, citizens to advance the interdisciplinary scholarship, policy application and communication of neuroscience and society research, which is rapidly forcing us to reassess the boundaries of nature and society, biology and culture, social environment and self. It has a special focus on supporting early career scholars and those who wish to work across disciplinary divides.
A series of workshops and conferences have been held in both Europe and North America, bringing together life scientists and social scientists, leading to the publication of books, edited volumes, and various articles and conference reports.