My Week in Westminster at the Royal Society Pairing Scheme

This post was written by Melissa Marselle, Ph.D.

We are in a climate and biodiversity crisis. Despite the natural world being critical for our health and well-being, environmental policies often fail to be fully met. As an environmental psychologist who studies the mental health benefits of natural environments and applies behavioral science to environmental policy, I want to improve environmental policy to save both people and nature. So when I saw the Royal Society's 'Week in Westminster' Pairing Scheme being advertised, I immediately knew I wanted to apply.

The Pairing Scheme, currently celebrating its 25th year, recruits around 30 scientists every year and pairs them with civil servants or Ministers of Parliament (MPs) for shadowing, talks, and events in government. The idea of the scheme is to enable scientists to understand how their work and knowledge can help inform policymaking, whilst government workers get expert knowledge into science research.

With over 300 applications for just 30 places, and the fact that the Pairing Scheme focuses on science, technology, engineering, medicine, and mathematics (STEMM) disciplines, I was prepared not to be successful. But I was determined to try, pouring effort into my application. So, when I received word in January that I had been shortlisted, I was shocked. A whirlwind of emails, schedules, and an invitation to the House of Lords (!) later, and I was heading to the Strand Palace Hotel on a Sunday in March, with the smartest clothes in my wardrobe.

Melissa job shadowing at Defra’s headquarters in London

Source: Dr. Melissa Marselle

Meeting the other scientists

My initial nerves were quickly removed by meeting my civil service pair, the other scientist from Surrey (John Collomosse, Ph.D.), and the fantastic group of scientists that made up this year’s cohort. To my surprise, there were five psychologists and three environmental social scientists!

Contrary to my expectations, the Pairing Scheme recognizes interdisciplinary research and considers applications from social or behavioral scientists who utilize or overlap with STEMM disciplines. The 30 of us represented a broad range of science, from postdocs to professors, across diverse fields from environmental epidemiology, AI, and geochemistry to developmental psychology and mathematical cognition.

My week in Westminster

One of the best parts about the Pairing Scheme is the doors it opens. The week started at the Royal Society in central London. Portraits and sculptures of great scientists adorn every wall. We got to look inside the Royal Society Charter book, where Fellows sign their names, a tradition going back to 1663. Wow—there is Charles Darwin’s signature! In a grand room with fancy architecture, we listened to talks from Dr. Rupert Lewis, the Royal Society’s Chief Science Policy Officer, and the Institute for Government, which explained how the UK Government works.

Day 2 was a tour of Parliament. The House of Commons looks much smaller in real life than on TV! After the tour, we spent the day at the Government Office for Science, where we heard about how science research is used in government from people like the Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The final day, back at the Royal Society, started with Baroness Alexandra Freeman (my first time being in the same room with a Baroness!) telling us about her journey from the BBC to the House of Lords. We also learnt how we can get directly involved in policy by submitting evidence to Select Committees and the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST). Day 3 ended with an evening reception at the House of Lords! Absolutely surreal.

Members of this year’s Pairing Scheme cohort in Westminster Hall

Source: Dr. Melissa Marselle

Job shadowing at Defra

The bulk of the week was spent with my civil service pair who works at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which is responsible for improving our protection of the natural environment, while growing a green economy, and supporting rural communities. They work within Defra’s Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment Programme (NCEA), where they create interactive maps to monitor the extent, location, and condition of nature across England to meet environmental policy goals.

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Much of our time together was spent having meetings—talking about the academic research on the human health benefits of natural environments and how it could be used in the NCEA to highlight the social benefits of England’s nature. My civil service pair is job shadowing me in May at the School of Psychology.

Do it!

The Pairing Scheme provided me with an opportunity to widen my network by engaging with different scientists and civil servants while also gaining an understanding of the challenges of getting our research into policy. I would encourage anyone who shared the goal of using science for policy to apply for the Scheme. It opens doors!

Tips about engaging with policymaking

After spending a week in Westminster, I learned that policymakers do not generally read scientific articles! To get your research seen by policymakers, you have to make your work as visible as possible. Here are a few tips:

• Media: Talk to the media team about your research. Do podcasts. A quote I heard that week was, “It is better to be a good communicator and a mediocre scientist.”
• Public engagement: Take part in public engagement opportunities to communicate your research directly to the public, such as the Festival of Social Science.
• Write about your research in half a page: Distill the main outputs and relevance of your article in half a page. Two chief science officers said this.
• Educate yourself: For example, you can sign up for the UK Parliament Knowledge Exchange Unit’s Weekly Round Up email for opportunities to engage with policy. Look at POST to see what problems the government is trying to get scientists' opinions on—and then submit evidence on your area(s) of expertise.
• Engage directly: If you see a bill coming up for debate in Parliament, write to a Lord or your local MP to help or raise an issue as a scientist. If you know the government department that is relevant for your research, maybe contact a civil servant in that department who might benefit from your research. Apparently, many UK civil servants are on LinkedIn! Another quote I heard that week was, “LinkedIn is the new Twitter.”
• Research for policy? The Government Office for Science (GO Science) commissions research for policy.

About the author

Melissa Marselle, Ph.D., is a lecturer in environmental psychology in the School of Psychology, University of Surrey. Her work focuses on the mental health benefits of biodiversity.