The next Nature Debate is on 21 September at King’s Place, London, and marries together ideas scientific and pecuniary. The 1980s saw the rise of the ‘rocket scientists’ of finance – as engineers, mathematicians and physicists rejected careers in science and technology and instead opted to work for banks. What part did they play in the financial crisis? And what is the future of science in finance? Join leading experts from science and banking as they debate whether the crisis was the result of bankers and regulators failing to grasp complicated, expert knowledge; and whether scientific knowledge – in particular fields such as complex systems, ecological economics and human behaviour – could help to ensure that economies are better understood and better regulated.

And those leading experts? Physicist turned financial mathematician Tim Johnson (Heriot-Watt University); researcher, entrepreneur and journalist John Browning; and Nature Consulting Editor Ehsan Masood. Nature Network community manager and London expert Matt Brown will be in the Rotunda bar before and after the event, and looks foward to meeting you there.

Book tickets for the Nature Debate.

Nature’s Recession Watch special: with news, opinion, podcast, features and blogs, the journal keeps you updated on what it all means for science. Will your research funding be cut? How secure is your company or research institution? And can the meltdown actually create opportunities for science?