Prestigious scheme

Dr Julie Murphy from the Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research, Institute of Neuroscience, British Politics senior lecturer Dr Stephen Elstub and Stefano Utili, Professor of Geotechnical Engineering, were selected for the prestigious scheme.

POST is Parliament's in-house source of independent, balanced and accessible analysis of public policy issues related to science and technology. Its fellowships provide a unique opportunity for researchers to learn about how research feeds into practice and the challenges faced by decision-makers. It also increases opportunities for researchers from all disciplines to engage and connect with people in Parliament.

Public and policy engagement

Dr Murphy’s fellowship is as a contributing author on POST briefings on public engagement in science. It means she is working with a wide range of people and organisations, both within and outside Parliament, including fellow academics, charities, businesses and regulators.

She said: “This is an amazing opportunity to develop expertise in public and policy engagement that will impact our research at the Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research, Newcastle University.”

Dr Elstub is working with Parliament’s Outreach and Engagement Team on his project Public Engagement and Parliament: Connecting Citizens with Select Committees through Mini-Publics. Mini publics are small groups of randomly selected citizens who engage with each other and experts to make recommendations on policy issues.

He said: “I’m very excited about the fellowship and I hope it can contribute to improving public engagement with select committee inquiries.”

Professor Utili’s fellowship is investigating the impact of Brexit on research funding. He will be working with the Government’s Science and Technology Committee on Does the UK need EU funding to remain a world-leader in scientific research and innovation? An analysis of the impact of EU vs UK funding on UK Research and Development.

He said: “This project will provide much needed quantitative data to Parliament about the role of EU funding for the UK research system. I will perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of EU research funds in comparison with Research Council funds to generate scientific and technological impact across the whole spectrum of disciplines.”