Two University of Warwick researchers have been awarded Parliamentary Academic Fellowships, as part of a new scheme that offers academics the opportunity to work on projects in the House of Commons and House of Lords.

Dr Gabriel Siles-Brügge, Politics and International Studies, is supporting and advising the House of Commons International Trade Committee in its remit to scrutinise the work of the Department for International Trade, including the implementation of new trade agreements post-Brexit. This involves advising the Committee on effective lines of inquiry, producing briefings and reviewing evidence received in inquiries.

Dr Thijs Van Rens, Economics, is working with the House of Commons Health Committee to scrutinise the Government’s Childhood Obesity Plan. This includes examining how effectively it has been implemented to date, and reviewing the evidence base on options to address childhood obesity that were not included in the original strategy.

The Parliamentary Academic Fellowship Scheme is organised by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology in collaboration with ESRC and EPSRC Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAAs). Six Fellowships linked to IAAs were awarded in total to academics from UK universities.

As well as enabling researchers to work on policy-relevant projects within Parliament, the scheme provides the opportunity to learn how research feeds into the policy-making process and to develop lasting connections with decision-makers.

Dr Siles-Brügge’s and Dr Van Rens’ Fellowships are supported by the University of Warwick ESRC IAA.

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