Who We Are
SARAH CHAYTOR
UPEN CO-CHAIR
Sarah Chaytor is Director of Strategy & Policy for UCL Research, Innovation & Global Engagement.
She was a co-founder and is currently co-Chair of UPEN, the Universities Policy Engagement Network; leads the £10 million Capabilities in Academic-Policy Engagement project; and is Strategic Engagement Director for the International Public Policy Observatory. She is also a Co-Director of the Research on Research Institute.
She works closely with the Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation and Global Engagement) on the strategic management of UCL's research agenda and the coordination of activities across the portfolio. She has a particular focus on external stakeholder engagement and research policy, as well as institutional strategic initiatives. Sarah established and oversees UCL's flagship academic-policy engagement initiative, UCL Public Policy, to connect UCL research to public policymaking.
Prior to joining UCL, Sarah worked in policy roles with the Russell Group, the Wellcome Trust and Universities UK, as a parliamentary researcher, and for a think tank.
DR CHRIS HEWSON
UPEN CO-CHAIR
Chris studied Social and Political Sciences at Cambridge, and took his PhD in Sociology at Lancaster University. His PhD examined the development of community radio and television services in the face of social and regulatory change. Chris stepped into the newly created role of Social Sciences Research Impact Manager in March 2017, having previously worked in impact support roles at the Universities of Manchester and Salford. He can be found on Twitter @c_d_hewson.
Chris provides expert assistance to York's social sciences departments regarding all aspects of research impact, including but not limited to funding and the REF. He also manages the Economic and Social Research Council Impact Accelerator Account (the York ESRC IAA). He is always keen to hear from organisations and groups interested in collaborating with the University's social science researchers.
Chris has also been co-chair of UPEN's Professional Development Sub-Committee.
PROF ANDREW BROWN
UPEN CO-CHAIR
Andrew Brown is Professor of Economics and Political Economy at Leeds University Business School. He is Academic Director of the Yorkshire and Humber Policy Engagement and Research Network (Y-PERN, funded by Research England). He has led interdisciplinary economics research in a wide range of funded projects, working closely with public and private sector stakeholders, for example, with HM Treasury on Green Book valuation of infrastructure and of nature. His has published on circular economy; sustainable and resilient infrastructure and industry; value and wellbeing; financialisation; and the methodology and philosophy of interdisciplinary science.
LAURA BEA
UPEN NETWORK MANAGER
Laura is currently the Network Manager for the Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN), Co-Chair and co-creator of the Arts and Humanities Sub-Committee, and co-chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Sub Committee (UPEN). They are a former Specialist Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Policy Officer for Public Policy, Southampton, and they are now doing a SCDTP ESRC PhD at the University of Southampton on the role of fiction and poetry as forms of evidence within public policy around gender based violence.
ELEONORA PIGA
PUBLIC POLICY INTERN
Eleonora is currently finishing her MSc Learning Environments at UCL where she explored the educational sector in depth. Her research focuses on community engagement and international development, specifically on how collaboration with multiple stakeholders can bring change at the policy level. Eleonora has worked on a variety of university led projects in the past, where she and her team collaborated with local charities to come up with initiatives to share knowledge on sustainable practices with the community. In her spare time she enjoys hiking and cycling, and cooking for her friends and family.
GRACE MUCHOKI
PUBLIC POLICY INTERN
I am passionate about education policies and how they affect different social groups in various global contexts. My primary interests are England and Kenya. In England, I am interested in how education policies from Thatcher's reign and beyond have impacted the academic success of marginalised groups; in Kenya, I'm interested in how policies affect girls' access to education. Beyond this, I like to analyse how other non-education policies (economic) indirectly impact/exacerbate these issues. I am currently studying Policy Studies in Education (MA) at UCL and I'm excited to assist in the important policy work that UPEN commits itself to.
HANNAH DURRANT
UPEN VICE CHAIR
Hannah is Senior Research Fellow at the Wales Centre for Public Policy, Cardiff University. Her research focuses on the politics, processes and practices of knowledge production and mobilisation and the role and impact of research evidence and expertise in policymaking. She leads the Centre's programme of work on loneliness and the role of communities and digital technologies in enabling social connection and enhancing wellbeing.
DES MCNULTY
UPEN VICE CHAIR
Des McNulty helped set up Policy Scotland at the University of Glasgow and was one of the earliest members of UPEN. He became Dean for Public Policy in 2016 and was then appointed as Assistant Vice Principal in 2017, responsible for civic engagement and place leadership. After stepping down from his AVP role is 2021, he maintains his connection with the University of Glasgow as Honorary Fellow, Civic Partnership and Place Leadership.
GARETH GILES
UPEN VICE CHAIR
Giles (as he is known to all) brings more than a decade's worth of experience working between central and local government and the higher education sector. In his current role is responsible for the strategic direction of PPS, financial sustainability of the team and internal and external stakeholder management. Giles is currently working on policy engagement culture change within the University specifically focusing on developing mechanisms that support and celebrate the successes of our diverse range of world leading Early Career Researchers.
KAYLEIGH RENBERG-FAWCETT
UPEN VICE CHAIR
Kayleigh Renberg-Fawcett is the UCL Coordinator on the Research England funded Capabilities in Academic-Policy Engagement (CAPE) project. Previously, Kayleigh was the Network Manager at UPEN and was a co-chair of the EDI Sub-Committee. She was also Director of the China-Britain Football Centre, which connected young people in the UK and China through football and worked on the University of Nottingham's Asia Research Institute and Institute for Policy and Engagement.
NICOLA BUCKLEY
UPEN VICE CHAIR
Nicola has led the Policy Fellowships team at the Centre for Science and Policy at the University of Cambridge since 2016, responsible for a programme for around a hundred Policy Fellows active each year, matching policy officials to relevant academics, and developing interactions with other universities. She is the Cambridge lead for the Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement project (CAPE). Nicola is also on secondment for 4 days per week to the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology from July 2022 for a year, to work with select committees on generating Areas of Research Interest. She will retain her role at CSaP for 1 day per week and her role with UPEN during this period. Previously, Nicola was the Head of Public Engagement at the University of Cambridge when she managed the annual Cambridge Science Festival and set up and managed the Festival of Ideas. Prior to that, Nicola worked as Fundraising Manager within three charities. Nicola has an MA in History and an MPhil in Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge, and an MSc in Science and Society from the Open University.
PROF ARLENE HOLMES-HENDERSON
UPEN VICE CHAIR
Professor Arlene Holmes-Henderson is Associate Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Durham University where she holds a British Academy Innovation Fellowship (2022-2024). She investigates the learning and teaching of classical subjects in schools, universities and communities. Formerly a Policy Leader at the University of Oxford, Arlene sits on AHRC's Public Policy advisory group and several national committees at the British Academy. As an expert in Classics outreach and knowledge exchange, she engages diverse stakeholders to explore ways to widen access to the study of the classical world. Working at the intersection of research, policy and practice, Arlene acts as expert advisor to policymakers in government and parliament on issues across the Humanities and Education. Her successful policy engagement with a range of partners has been showcased in this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6gEzYV9RS.
