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UCL Public Policy is pleased to announce a new Research-Policy Fellowship scheme with MHCLG.
We are seeking to embed a cohort of up to four Research-Policy Fellows within Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) Chief Scientific Adviser’s (CSA) Office or their relevant policy teams working on priority projects in the department. Working with department leaders, the Fellows will have the opportunity to contribute to multiple projects that span the breadth of the department’s policy responsibilities. Anticipated activities could include developing the associated research and evidence base, developing connections between MHCLG and the research community, and ultimately having a role in translating research into policy.
There is significant scope for the Fellows to shape their role and identify where they can have an impact on MHCLG policy - this could include priority research into the topical political priorities.
Background
MHCLG is central to the mission-driven government, from fixing the foundations of an affordable home to handing power back to communities and rebuilding local governments. MHCLG is at the heart of the government's agenda for change, aimed at growing the economy and improving people's lives right across the United Kingdom. They do this by empowering local communities, rebuilding local government, delivering the homes people need, ensuring building safety, enabling social cohesion and supporting local growth.
MHCLG requires rigorous, robust, relevant and timely evidence to design and deliver policies to achieve its vision and objectives. As their research, evidence and analysis requirements evolve over time, they have grouped these needs into the themes which most directly address their responsibilities, and where there is most scope and value from further research. There are 10 themes as follows:
Proposal
Effective land management is crucial for achieving environmental objectives like tackling climate change, recovering nature, reducing pollution, and restoring soil health. To meet the UK Government and devolved administrations' environmental legal obligations and policy priorities, a collaborative approach across science, policy, and practice domains is essential. Major landowners play a significant role in developing, testing, and delivering land use changes. However, selecting the appropriate changes and their implementation timing is challenging due to competing land uses for food, energy, environment, and urbanization, necessitating difficult trade-offs. Enhanced decision-making requires integrated research approaches that model social, economic, and environmental systems to provide critical insights into how land use policies and strategies may evolve in uncertain futures.
- Housing
- The planning system
- Net zero carbon emissions & housing quality
- Communities & Social Cohesion
- Local Government
- Local Growth
- Homelessness, rough sleeping
- Building Safety
- Electoral registration, voting & electoral systems
- Resilience and Recovery from emergencies
MHCLG are also interested in how to solve problems and apply cross-cutting methodologies such as systems thinking, theories of change, innovative approaches to problem solving, project and programme management. Expertise in these areas would be a welcome addition to the teams solving the toughest problems facing the nation.
Benefits and outcomes
Given the fast-moving nature of policy priorities, specific deliverables will be agreed before the start of the placement between the Fellow, thea CSA Team and the MHCLG Policy Team. Potential activities could include:
- Creating evidence summaries, reviews and analysis to meet key policy needs.
- Identifying evidence gaps; planning and delivering research to address departmental needs.
- Examining the existing and emerging evidence in areas of key departmental interest.
- Translating complex academic research for application in policy and practice.
- Designing and organising policy workshops – to provide academic challenge and rigour.
- Conducting evidence-based horizon scanning exercises.
- Preparing written briefings and/or blogs for non-specialist audiences.
The Fellowships offer academics an opportunity to inform and influence senior leaders and Ministers and to experience government ways of working and see how policy is made. They will understand how to help ‘land’ research more effectively. Fellows will benefit from a proximity to interesting and topical policy decisions at a national scale and access to a network of policy, analysis and research teams in MHCLG and in other departments.
Fellows will have access to national datasets and information (for use whilst in post only, and subject to security clearances). They will benefit from support and oversight from the department’s Chief Scientific Adviser and to wider support, including access to seminars, talks and workshops run by the department for internal staff. MHCLG will provide the Fellows with mandatory training that enables effective working within the Civil Service. The Fellows will have access to a host of optional training available to all staff whilst on placement. Additionally, they will benefit from the support of peers within the cohort and UCL Public Policy.
Fellowship structure
Funded through UCL Public Policy, these fellowships are intended to start in January 2025, and are offered as a 4 - 6-month placement on a full or part-time basis. All Fellowships must be completed by 31 July 2025. By participating in these fellowships, researchers can gain hands-on experience in a government department. The Fellow will work with MHCLG either remotely or in person. Depending on the Fellow’s location, they are welcome to go into one of MHCLG’s 20 office across the country:
Our locations include:
London, Belfast, Birkenhead, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, Exeter, Hastings, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Plymouth, Sheffield, Truro, Warrington, and Wolverhampton.
Deadline: 30 October 17:00 GMT.
Informal interviews of shortlisted candidates will be held online on Monday 11 November.
About you
These secondments are open to eligible academic and research staff at UCL Grade 6, 7 or 8. Eligible applicants must have a UCL employment contract that extends beyond the secondment period.
Essential skills and experience
Projects will be allocated to Fellows after the interviews, taking into account the relevance of their skills and experience. Applicants are encouraged to apply to one or more policy themes and will be selected based on their potential for knowledge exchange rather than their subject matter expertise. Candidates should primarily highlight their appropriateness to the Fellowship through the following essential skills and experience over their subject knowledge.
- A track record of research and/or applied research experience relevant to one or more of MHCLG’s 10 themes.
- Robust analytic and critical thinking skills and good working knowledge of the main research methodologies of relevance in your field of expertise.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to operate in multidisciplinary teams, at pace, to tackle complex challenges.
- The ability to translate complex information and research findings into meaningful narrative for a non-academic audience, verbally and in writing, to drive decision-making and achieve impact.
- An understanding of the challenges and opportunities of co-production and collaboration, including with non-academics and government/its agencies.
Desirable skills:
- Insight into working in a governmental context
To apply
Please complete the online application form to apply for this opportunity. If you have difficulty in accessing or using this form please contact public-policy@ucl.ac.uk. If you have any questions please take a look at our Frequently Asked Questions page.
We particularly welcome applications from black and minority ethnic, female and disabled/neurodivergent candidates.
In order to apply, you must
- have obtained consent from your line manager to do the fellowship
- Submit a worktribe costing from your finance manager for your direct costs for the fellowship period
Please note information provided in the application form will be shared with MHCLG to assess your suitability for the award. For more information on data sharing please see the UCL Staff Privacy Statement here and UCL statement on tasks in the public interest here.
Deadline: 30 October 17:00 GMT.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an online panel meeting with members of UCL Public Policy and the CSA Office on 11 November.