Dr Sadie Boniface (UCL Centre for Behaviour Change) was one of 31 research scientists from institutes across the country selected for Royal Society’s prestigious Pairing Scheme 2026.
The scheme gives policymakers and research scientists an opportunity to experience each other’s worlds, building bridges between parliamentarians, civil servants and some of the best research scientists in the UK.
Speaking about why she was interested in taking part in the scheme, Dr Boniface said: “I wanted to strengthen my understanding of the many ways scientific evidence is used in policy, and how I as a researcher can maximise the relevance and impact of my work to a range of policy actors. I have a particular interest in this because before joining the UCL Centre for Behaviour Change in 2024, I led the research function of a charity, where I attended parliamentary events, presented at APPGs, and met with officials, so I wanted to build on these skills thinking specifically about behavioural research.”
The scheme includes a ‘Week in Westminster’ event which sees the paired scientists hearing from invited speakers, taking part in events and workshops, as well as spending time ‘shadowing’ their partner. Dr Boniface was paired with Lord John Krebs, a crossbench peer and zoologist with a passion for scientific research.
“I shadowed Lord Krebs at an event about sustainable diets, a Lords select committee about waste crime, and a public engagement event where schoolchildren presented their solutions to drought,” Dr Boniface said, “The breadth of knowledge required to engage across these topics and the ability to adapt your communication style from questioning a Secretary of State one minute, to making teenagers feel comfortable in the House of Lords the next was seriously impressive.”
Dr Boniface said: “The experience has really consolidated for me that engaging with policy is not a linear process and there is not one ‘way’ to do it. There are a multitude of possibilities and routes to doing so, and the most important thing is an openness to seizing opportunities and willingness to nurture relationships.”