Their latest collaboration helped shape Stephen’s short story, My Vagus Proxy, which was recently named a Top 10 finalist in the Dubai Future Forum Sci-Fi short story competition.
My Vagus Proxy tells the story of a community suffering from poor gut health, which is affecting their mental health and how they treat the planet. The solution? A programme of pre and post biotics, provided via an aid programme.
How did this long-running collaboration begin?
Stephen:
I’ve worked with social scientist Dr Christine Aicardi from King’s on several fiction projects over the years, some of them involving Claire. One of the earliest was with TwinsUK around longevity and emerging technologies. We brought together scientists and writers, had conversations, created stories, and then invited experts to reflect on the ideas.
Across all these years, what’s been most valuable is the relationship that builds. So when I started thinking about a story involving the gut microbiome, how it shapes mental health, and even how we treat the planet, Claire was the person I approached. I emailed her a very short outline and asked ‘is any of this possible? Have I understood this right?’ That turned into a long meeting over coffee, several conversations, and many emails as I drafted the story.
Claire:
Yes, we first met around 2016, maybe even earlier! Even then I was interested in the microbiome, though it didn’t make it into that first piece we worked on. What I’ve always found stimulating is how working with science-fiction writers prompts us to think differently.
That future-thinking perspective is something scientists are often nervous about as we’re trained to test hypotheses about the past or present, rather than imagine the future. But these conversations help us reflect on what our science might imply.
Stephen, what first sparked the idea for My Vagus Proxy?
I’d become fascinated by the connection between diet, the gut microbiome and mental health—the gut–brain axis. I started wondering what if governments intervened in people’s diets not just for physical health, but to support mental wellbeing and even environmental behaviour?
The story imagines an upward spiral of improved gut health, which leads to improved mental health, which leads to a community treating each other and the planet better. I didn’t know enough science to write it responsibly, which is why Claire’s insight was essential.
Claire, how did you approach advising on the science for fiction?
I always find it both fun and slightly scary! Scientists worry about being misinterpreted or overselling what’s possible. But fiction gives permission to explore ‘what if?’
Stephen and I talked a lot about whether the microbiome could produce rapid changes. The reality is that major shifts usually take time but emerging research into post-biotics and microbial metabolites suggests short-term effects are possible. Those ideas helped shape the story’s interventions.
What I loved most is the story’s optimism. The protagonist undergoes a gradual, almost unnoticed transformation, a shift I recognise from my clinical work. Sometimes a small intervention, like treating sleep apnoea, can completely change someone’s outlook. If whole communities could experience that type of positive shift, imagine the impact.
How does AI weave into this fictional future—and real research?
Claire:
In the story, there’s an AI companion nudging the character towards healthier choices. When I picture it, it’s flying around—though I doubt Stephen meant that!
But the broader idea is very real. At King’s, researchers are already exploring how chatbots can support people’s mental health. So, although the story is fictional, the direction of travel is grounded.
Stephen, what did you hope readers would take from the story?
I wanted people, especially those shaping future policy or investment, to consider the real-world link between poor diet, mental health and community wellbeing. Many people can only afford highly processed, poor-quality food. That has mental health consequences, which affect everything from relationships to environmental choices.
The Dubai Futures Foundation describe themselves as the “World’s Largest Gathering of Futurists.” So, placing the story there was very intentional. Hopefully it will be read by people who are thinking about where they might invest money in the future.
Claire, what value do you see in scientists working with fiction writers?
It opens conversations we don’t often have. It helps researchers think critically about implications, how science might be used for good and allows the public to engage with ideas in a different way.
I encourage our students and researchers to take part in these collaborations because they broaden thinking, they challenge assumptions, and they’re genuinely fun