Hello from a physicist - prepared to be annoyed by my questions

Right, I'll be upfront: I'm a physicist working in materials science, I'm fundamentally skeptical about paranormal claims, and I'm probably going to ask pedantic questions about methodology and evidence. But here's why I'm joining: I think the paranormal community has genuinely interesting data collection challenges, and I'm interested in how you approach unexplained phenomena.

Fair warning to all believers: I'm not here to debunk you, though I will ask for rigorous evidence. I'm here because I think science and paranormal research could actually benefit from each other - specifically, paranormal investigations are often poorly documented and non-reproducible, which makes them scientifically useless. That's not a value judgment, it's just a technical problem I might be able to help with.

Based in Edinburgh. Whisky recommendations welcome.

Welcome, mate. Honestly, we need more people like you - technical, skeptical, willing to engage. Most paranormal 'investigation' is just storytelling with equipment. If we could actually establish reproducible protocols and rigorous documentation, that would legitimize the entire field. Or it would prove that most of this stuff is explainable after all. Either way, it's progress. Avoid the far reaches of the forum where people believe everything, spend time in the analysis sections where people are actually trying to figure things out.

Edinburgh's brilliant for paranormal history if you want something local to examine - Greyfriars Kirkyard, Mary King's Close, all well-documented locations with clear historical context. If you want to approach it from a scientific angle, those would be good test cases. The history is solid (verifiable), the hauntings are anecdotal (excellent for applying critical analysis). Could be interesting collaboration.

I think science and paranormal research could actually benefit from each other

This is the attitude we need. Most paranormal believers actually want to understand what's happening - they're not invested in the supernatural explanation itself, they're invested in solving the mystery. And skeptics who approach with curiosity rather than contempt are genuinely valuable. You'll probably annoy some people, but the reasonable ones will appreciate the rigour. Talisker for the whisky, by the way.

Prepare for some defensive responses when you start asking for reproducible data or proper controls. You'll get 'but ghosts don't cooperate with experiments!' type arguments. True enough, but that also means they're unfalsifiable, which is a different kind of problem. Anyway, welcome. This place needs voices that are skeptical but genuinely engaged rather than just dismissive.