The Council consists of experts from across a range of specialisms, who will provide scientific advice to education policy makers in the Department for Education (DfE). It will also facilitate links between the DfE and the wider scientific community.
IOE academics and their areas of expertise are:
Professor Claire Crawford: A Professor of Economics, Claire works with UCL's Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, based at IOE. Her research focuses on understanding inequalities in education and labour market outcomes and how policy can reduce gaps. She previously sat on the Department’s Skills and Productivity Board, and has contributed evidence to a number of select committees on education, social mobility and diversity and inclusion issues.
Professor Rose Luckin: Rose is Emeritus Professor of Learner Centred Design at UCL's Knowledge Lab, based within IOE, Faculty of Education and Society. Her research focuses on artificial intelligence in education, from ethical AI design to practical implementation and evaluation, investigating how machine learning and AI technologies can support teaching and learning while keeping human intelligence at the centre of education.
Professor Michael J. Reiss: Michael holds the Chair of Science Education at IOE, Faculty of Education and Society. He joins the Science Advisory Council to contribute his expertise in ethics and biology. Michael is currently a member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and his latest biology book is The New Biology: A Battle between Mechanism and Organicism (2023), co-authored with Michael Ruse and published by Harvard University Press.
The Council has been set up to help "the department’s work to break down the barriers to opportunity by protecting children and ensuring the delivery of higher standards of education, training and care."
In the DfE's announcement, Professor Russell Viner, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for Education, said:
"We are the department for opportunity, working to deliver better life chances for all – and that means being at the forefront of cutting-edge scientific evidence to ensure we are doing everything we can to break the link between background and success.
"We must keep pace with technological and scientific advancements if we are to deliver the highest standards for the people we serve. Science alone can’t address the challenges the department faces – but it can inform robust, evidence-informed decision making."
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