Does It Really Matter, “What Went On in Wuhan”? How the Politics and Practice of Biodefense Come Apart

Public debate over the origins of COVID-19 has focused on whether the virus emerged through routine human-animal transmission, as SARS did in 2002, or resulted from a laboratory incident. The debate has brought unusual attention to biosecurity and remains a recurring topic in news coverage, political testimony, and social media.

In this talk, guest speaker Nicholas Evans, associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, asks, “Does it matter?” and explores whether COVID-19’s origin should change how we prepare for future pandemics.

Drawing on 25 years of biosecurity history, contemporary politics, and philosophy, Evans argues that many policy decisions would remain the same regardless of the virus’s origin. He also examines how claims about viral origins can illustrate an indifference to truth, in which persuasion takes precedence over evidence.

Speaker

Nicholas G. Evans

Nicholas G. Evans is an associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he co-directs the Modelling Individual and Networked Decisions (MIND) Lab. His work focuses on the intersection of ethics, infectious disease, emerging technologies, and national security.

Evans is best known for his work on “dual-use research,” beneficial scientific research that has a risk of misuse in the development of weapons of mass destruction. Evans completed his Ph.D. at the Australian National University where he studied the ethics of dual-use research in 2013, where he wrote on the scope and strength of scientific freedom in the face of national security concerns. He has since published more than 20 articles on the topic and worked in several national and international capacities to prevent the misuse of the life sciences. In February 2025, he published Gain of Function with The MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series, providing a thoroughgoing guide to the topic, its controversies, and future.

More recently, Evans has conducted research with funding from the United States Air Force Office of Scientific Research on the ethics of human enhancement among serving members of the military. His 2021 The Ethics of Neuroscience and National Security provided a wide-ranging assessment of the possibilities and limits of the use of neuroscience to promote legitimate military aims. In 2027 he will release Human Enhancement at War with Oxford University Press, co-edited with Blake Hereth.

Evans is also a recognized expert in public health ethics, writing on the ethics of social distancing, research ethics during health emergencies, and the use of force in pandemic response. His 2016 collection, Ebola’s Message: Public Health and Medicine in the 21st Century received favorable reviews in Nature from Peter Piot, who is credited with first identifying ebolavirus. His new book on the ethics of pandemic preparedness and response, War on All Fronts: A Theory of Health Security Justice, was published in May 2023, which is available open access MIT Press.

If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation, contact Grace McFarland at 540-231-0410 or gracemm26@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days before the event.