The Policy Engagement Team
Guided by the Oxford Policy Engagement Network Steering Group, the Policy Engagement Team works with Divisions and Departments across the University to enhance support for researchers' engagement with local, regional, national and international policymakers. This includes support for related learning and development, sharing of good practice, and brokering new opportunities.
What can the Policy Engagement Team do for you?
The Team facilitates engagement between researchers and local, regional, national and international policymakers, and establishes mechanisms to support research-uptake for the benefit of public policy design, delivery and evaluation.
The Team can provide support in a number of ways, by:
- Offering guidance on formal opportunities for policy engagement
- Highlighting funding programmes and fellowship schemes for policy engagement
- Providing guidance notes and tips for policy engagement
- Facilitating engagement with policymakers, where we have the networks
- Delivering training programmes for early career researchers and DPhil students
- Delivering targeted seminars on skills for effective policy engagement
- Facilitating the sharing of experience and learning from policy-engaged academics
If you’d like priority access to these benefits, you can sign up to join the Oxford Policy Engagement Network.
You can also follow the Policy Engagement Team on twitter or email the team at [email protected]
Who should I speak to?
Will Pryor, Head of Policy EngagementWill provides strategic advice and support to the university's Policy Engagement Steering Group, and works with divisions and departments across the university to enhance support for researchers' engagement with local, regional, national and international policymakers. Prior to joining the Policy Engagement Team, Will advised government departments and agencies, in and outside the UK the International Crisis Group. Email: [email protected]Telephone: +44 (0)1865 (2)70401 |  |
Jess Hedge, Oxford Policy Engagement Network (OPEN) CoordinatorJess is responsible for broadening and deepening membership of OPEN, ensuring members receive regular updates about the latest opportunities for engagement, professional development and funding, and facilitating internal funding calls and awards. Jess fields enquiries from researchers and policymakers, and helps to point them in the right direction with their ideas for engagement. Sarah is currently completing a PhD in French sociolinguistics with a focus on language and education policy, and previously worked in alumni relations and cultural exchange roles in the United States. Email: [email protected] |  |
Jose Rojas Alvarado, Learning and Development ManagerJosé is responsible for the design and delivery of an integrated portfolio of learning and development opportunities and resources for OPEN members, as well as other researchers and professional services staff. He brings a diverse background spanning both academia and practice. He previously worked as an associate lecturer teaching International Relations in Higher Education. He also served as a consultant to development agencies in Latin America, gaining first-hand experience in development work. Email: [email protected] |  |
Naomi Gibson, Public and Policy Engagement Facilitator (Medical Sciences Division)Naomi works closely with the Medical Sciences Division to support and deliver a number of activities to enable researchers build relationships with public policymakers, with the ultimate aim of improving the use of evidence in policy-making and developing research activities that respond to current policy challenges. Email: [email protected] |  |
Tom Kelsey, Humanities and Public Policy OfficerTom supports academics across the Humanities Division in the development of policy-related research. This work ranges from reviewing applications, delivering training, and linking scholars to the right opportunities and institutions. Tom has a PhD in History and has long worked at the interface of academia and policy. He ran the Historians in Residence Scheme at King's College London and has written policy reports with leading think-tanks such as the Institute for Government and the Resolution Foundation. Before his current post, he was an ESRC Policy and Research Fellow at the Blavatnik School of Government working within the Heywood team. Email: [email protected] |  |
Noora Kanfash, Social Sciences Public Policy Engagement FacilitatorNoora is responsible for supporting the Social Sciences Division to developing the Policy Engagement activities, offering specialist support to departments and researchers and growing/deepening influence in the Policy community. Noora joined the team from Washington D.C. where she worked to strengthen federal policies supporting the health of young children, women, and families in the United States. Noora’s career has focused on bridging the gap between public officials and local communities in an effort to advance equitable public policy. Email: |  |
John Styles, Information Systems Lead for Business & Policy EngagementJohn helps the specialist Business and Policy Engagement Teams to develop and make use of systems that can assist with identifying, targeting, connecting, tracking and more broadly delivering insights across the spectrum of engagement activities. Email: [email protected] |  |
Amy King, Research Communications OfficerAs Research Communications Officer, Amy oversees the communications strategy and direction for the Oxford Policy Engagement Network, working closely with the Communications Officer. Email: [email protected] |  |
OPEN Steering Group
OPEN is guided by the Oxford Policy Engagement Network Steering Group, which includes representatives of all four Divisions and is chaired by the Academic Champion for Policy Engagement, Professor Christl Donnelly.
