Being a Thematic Research Lead has been transformative. Not only have I participated in the workings of Parliament – such as advising cross-party scrutiny of the Government by Select Committees, or writing House of Commons Library briefings for MPs and peers – but I’ve also had the opportunity to bring in new ideas.
Professor Tamsin Edwards, Professor in Climate Change
12 July 2024
Programme placing academics in Parliament set to expand after successful pilot with King's climate scientist
Professor Tamsin Edwards was a Thematic Research Lead on Climate & Environment, providing impartial expertise to teams, committees and elected representatives in the Parliament.
A programme to create a bridge between the UK Parliament and the research community is set to expand after a successful pilot involving King’s climate scientist and IPCC author Professor Tamsin Edwards.
Professor Edwards was appointed in January 2023 as Thematic Research Lead for Climate and Environment as part of an innovative programme to strengthen the use of high-quality evidence in decision making and legislation in the Parliament.
The pilot’s success has led to the programme now being expanded to eight Thematic Research Leads in a wider variety of policy areas, starting in Autumn 2024.
Based on the concept of Chief Scientific Advisers, the pilot funded by the UKRI Economic and Social Research Council appointed three academic experts as Thematic Research Leads to work with staff across the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), the House of Commons Library and the Select Committee teams.
As a climate scientist with specialist knowledge of quantifying uncertainties of climate model predictions, Professor Edwards brought her impartial expertise, extensive policy knowledge and strong network of research connections to teams in and out of Parliament.
During the programme which ran from January 2023 to Summer 2024, the Thematic Research Leads were involved in a wide range of knowledge exchange activities, including organising seminars, running workshops, speaking at conferences, horizon scanning activities and producing learning materials.
The Thematic Research Lead pilot programme has been an exciting innovation in POST’s work bringing research expertise into the parliamentary process, creating opportunities for new ideas and networks. We’ve seen some fantastic work come out of this first year of the programme, which has enriched knowledge exchange in Parliament, and POST is very much looking forward to expanding it later this year from three to eight policy areas.
Oliver Bennett MBE, Head of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
Professor Edwards described her experience as one of the first TRLs as “incredibly exciting and rewarding”.
She said: “A big part of this role has been learning how to make decisions with broad consultation and consensus – this is quite different from academia, which often rewards the solo expert striking out independently, but I’ve found it a much more effective and ultimately productive way to work.”
Among other things, Professor Edwards leveraged her national and international research networks to help the Parliament access a greater diversity of academic expertise on climate and environmental issues. Ahead of COP28, she also organised an event in the UK Parliament to bring together IPCC authors, parliamentarians and parliamentary staff for discussions on policy priorities to tackle climate change.
Sharing a word of advice with fellow academics keen on working with the UK Parliament, Professor Edwards said that they should focus on communicating their research to the public in jargon-free language. At a meeting of the UK Universities Climate Network in 2023, Professor Edwards encouraged colleagues to hone their skill of making research accessible through public talks, media interviews, blogs or social media.
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Professor in Climate Change