Prof.dr. Frans Brom

Prof.dr. Frans W.A. Brom (b. 1963) has been head of the Rathenau Institute's Technology Assessment division since May 2007. Since April 2010 he is professor in 'Ethics of Technology Assessment' at department of Philosophy/Ethics Institute of Utrecht University.

Academic background and career
Frans Brom studied ethics at the Theological University of Amsterdam and philosophy of law at VU University Amsterdam. He graduated in 1990. Between 1991 and 1996 he was researcher at the Centre for Bioethics and Healthcare Law (CBG) at Utrecht University, working on secondment to the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. Here, he filled various positions, including assistant secretary to the Provisional Commission for the Ethical Assessment of Genetic Modification in Animals. He gained his doctorate from Utrecht University on the strength of a dissertation entitled Onherstelbaar verbeterd. Biotechnologie bij dieren als een moreel probleem ['Irreversibly improved: biotechnology in animals as a moral problem'. It is published (in Dutch) by Van Gorcum of Assen.

In 1997 and 1998, Frans was a post-doctoral researcher on the pioneer programme, ‘The Importance of Ideals in Law, Morality and Politics’, run by the Faculty of Law at the University of Brabant. He then took up a lectureship at Utrecht University, where he lectured on ethics to students of theology, philosophy, veterinary medicine and bio-medicine. In 2003, he became Director of Education at the newly-founded Ethics Institute at Utrecht, where he helped to design the Erasmus Mundus international interdisciplinary Master's programme in Applied Ethics. The programme was launched in September 2005 in association with the University of Linkoping (Sweden) and Trondheim University of Technology (Norway). In 2007, the founding partners were joined by the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa).

Research
Frans Brom's research has examined the societal significance of scientific and technological advances, with a particular focus on the interaction between Technology Assessment, ethics and political philosophy. This involves studying the nature, status and development of public morals, the role of institutions such as ethical committees and the importance of public deliberation, ethical analysis and (established) public opinion in terms of political decision-making. For an overview of his academic publications: http://rathenau.academia.edu/FransBrom

Relevant Memberships

Editorial boards
- Member Editorial Board, Agriculture and Human Values, 2001-
- European editor of the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 2000-

Advisory Committees
- Member Animal Welfare Council 2008
- Member (Chair since 2009) Central Research Ethics Advisory Group van Unilever 2006-
- Member (Chair since 2007) Sub-Committee Ethics and Societal Aspects of the Committee for Genetic Modification (CoGEM) 2002-
- Member Ethics Committee, Wageningen University and Research Institute, 2006- 2009
- Member Societal Advisory Board, Transforum Agro & Groen (Sustainability Transformation of Dutch Agriculture) 2004- 2007
- Ethics-Committee Hospital in Utrecht 2002-2004
- Member of scientific committee on food safety of the Gruppo Rinascente/Auchan Italy 2001-2003
- Member of the FAO-Expert Committee ‘Food safety: Science and ethics’ 2002
- Member Ad-hoc Committee on Xenotransplantation of the Health Council, 1998-1999.