We’re proud to announce the 2026 UCL Policy Fellows

Ten UCL staff will undertake placements between February and July 2026 with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), City Hall, and the London Boroughs of Camden, Islington and Newham.   

Each fellow will collaborate on a policy project with staff from their host organisation, gaining valuable insights into how national and local government work and make policy decisions. Their hosts benefit from UCL’s applied research expertise, which improves outcomes for London’s communities.  

UCL Policy Fellows and their projects have gone on to inform policy across London via reports, evaluations and engagement materials like infographics and toolkits.  

This year, our Fellowship programme has two main cohorts: Researchers in Residence and London Local Authorities Policy Fellowships   

Now in its fourth year, the Researchers in Residence programme supports UCL research staff in placements with OHID and City Hall.   

Run in partnership with UCL Health of the Public, the projects our fellows undertake reflects this public health theme. This year, these include contributing to the Fast Track Cities HIV programme, child poverty and health strategy, health improvement priorities for London and evaluating healthy eating awareness campaigns.   

This year’s Researchers in Residence are:  

• Dr Robyn Parker (UCL Public Policy)  
• Dr Emily Nicholls (Institute for Global Health)  
• Dr Vassilis Sideropoulos (Psychology and Human Development Department, IOE)  
• Dr Eve Taylor (Behavioural Science and Health)  

The second cohort, London Local Authority Policy Fellowships, will be run in partnership with the London Boroughs of Camden, Islington and Newham for the second year, with support from UCL’s Office of the Pro-Provost (London).  

These fellowships allow UCL staff and local government officers to work intensively on priority challenges for these Boroughs, and this year will include projects on violence against women and girls, zero emissions transport strategy, and harnessing AI and big data to predict local need and demographic changes, inclusive growth, and local food mission  

This year’s London Local Authority Policy Fellows are:  

• Dr Nelly Ali (Social Research Institute and Education, Practice and Policy)  
• Dr Jemima Stockton (Epidemiology and Public Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care)  
• Dr Vivi Antonopoulou (Centre for Behaviour Change, Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology)  
• Dr Ruth Neville (Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis)  
• Dr Mason Parker (Centre for Net Zero Market Design)  
• Dr Komal Bhatia (Institute for Global Health)  

You can read more about all our fellows, their host organisations and their projects on our Meet the Fellows page.  

Dr Olivia Stevenson, Deputy Director of UCL Public Policy, said:

“We are thrilled to welcome this cohort of talented UCL staff and academics to our fellowship programme and to be working once again with our partners across London. By deploying our Research England QR Policy Support funding, we are investing in long-term capacity, collaboration and impact. After 15 years of delivering fellowships, we know the opportunities for hosts and Fellows are immense: new perspectives, deeper partnerships and impactful outputs. I am excited to see the difference these projects will make.” 

Professor Graham Hart (Director, UCL Health of the Public):

““Health of the Public is delighted to support this year's Researchers in Residence. By bringing cross‑disciplinary public health research insights directly into policy and practice, alongside our colleagues in OHID and City Hall, we will work hard to make a positive change in health outcomes in the capital". 

Prof Alan Thompson, Pro Provost (London) said:

““I am delighted to see such impactful fellowships taking place across our core partners in the London boroughs and with OHID and GLA. Congratulations to all and we look forward to successful partnerships" 

We will be following our Fellows and their projects over the coming months on our socials. Follow their journey by keeping in touch with us over on LinkedIn, X or Bluesky.  

About UCL Public Policy: UCL Public Policy connects UCL’s world-class research with policymakers to inform and shape public policy. Through partnerships and engagement, UCL Public Policy enhances the impact of research on policy and practice.  

About OHID: The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities works to reduce health inequalities and improve the health of the population by supporting local and national efforts to address the wider determinants of health.  

About City Hall: City Hall is home to the Greater London Authority, which is the regional governance body for the capital. It is responsible for strategic planning, economic development, and improving the quality of life for Londoners. 

About UCL Health of the Public: Health of the Public supports cross-disciplinary research and education collaborations to improve health for all. 

About UCL Pro-Provost (London): The Pro-Provost (London) leads UCL's London work to advance its position as London's Global University by engaging with local communities, policymakers, local government and other partners and supporters of UCL in London and maximising the opportunities to and from London of UCL’s research, teaching, business and public engagement.