Monica McCall, Research Postgraduate on the Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet DTP, discusses her experience working in the UK House of Lords as part of the UKRI Policy Fellowship scheme.
Picture this: you are in a Victorian-era room bathed in shiny mahogany furniture, majestically patterned wallpaper, and paintings of royal coronations framed in gold leaf, stretching from floor to impressively high ceiling. You are surrounded by Baronesses, Earls, Lords and field-leading experts, discussing cutting-edge science and the UK policy landscape. Yesterday you were pipetting in a lab and today you are in Parliament! You ask yourself “how on Earth did I get here?”
The journey to Westminster
In my master’s program, my favorite piece of coursework was to write a policy briefing on climate change and sustainable agriculture. My lecturer at the time (a lead author of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report) encouraged us to write it in the style of a POSTnote. For those unacquainted, the function of POST, the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, is to write reliable and impartial scientific reports for Parliament, with their briefings cleverly coined “POSTnotes”. This was my introduction to translating scientific research into policy, and I was eager to explore more!
Fast forward to my PhD induction week in October 2022. We heard from well-seasoned 4th year students about their experience participating in the UKRI Policy Fellowship scheme, a three-month placement in governmental institutions around the UK. I knew instantly, on day three of my PhD, that I had to apply in the future. Jump to today, my last day at my placement as a POST fellow, and I am still in disbelief at having had the experience of working in the Palace of Westminster.
What does a POST Fellow do?
When you apply for the fellowship, you are given a choice of institutions for your placement. Naturally, being a London local, POST in Westminster was at the top of my list. When I got the great news of acceptance, POST informed me that the Environment and Climate Change Committee was in need of a fellow, and off I went to for a secondment to the House of Lords.
The committee is made up of 13 lords, and is supported by a team including a clerk, policy analyst, media and operations officers, and yours truly. Select committees decide on a topic of inquiry, and I joined right in the middle of an important one: nitrogen. During the inquiry my committee would hear from experts in academia and industry on different aspects of nitrogen pollution in the environment and the solutions to deal with it. If you’re curious, all of the evidence sessions are available to watch on Parliament TV, where you might find me scribbling notes in the background. In addition, the committee receives written submissions from the public and takes all of this body of evidence into consideration. Then we sit down as a team and write up a report summarising the problem and suggesting policy recommendations to the government.
In my day to day, I could find myself sitting in on an evidence session, drafting briefing materials for the Lords, reaching out to potential experts we want to interview, or reading through the latest evidence on nitrogen pollution in the environment.
Best bits of working in Parliament
Throughout the whole process I enjoyed learning how to tailor my writing for a policymaking audience, which admittedly is not as simple as it sounds. I also really appreciated the exposure to the full policymaking process. I learned how the pipeline of research to regulations really operates through each step of the way. Now as I return to my PhD, I plan to submit my own work to future climate change related inquiries! My colleagues on my team, in the office, and the other POST fellows made the experience excellent. My office was filled with lots of friendly faces, and quite a few previous POST fellows that had since joined full time. I got to attend meetings with several preeminent scientists and industry leaders. As someone who works in a lab setting, being able to discuss the translation of research into policy was something completely new and exciting.
On quieter days I took advantage of workplace perks like watching debates in the commons, touring Big Ben, and even attending Prime Minister’s Questions! Although perhaps the best bit was sharing a hairdresser (yes of course Parliament has a hair salon) with a former prime minister! On a more serious note, I do believe working in Parliament truly opened my eyes to the world of science in policymaking, and I would not be surprised if I found myself there again one day.
Thinking of applying?
The UKRI application for POST fellowships for next year is now open for the 2025/2026 cohort! If you’re thinking of applying feel free to reach out!
