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UofG Centre for Public Policy

  • Research expertise
  • Research project: The State of Poverty

Research expertise

The Centre for Public Policy is the doorway to policy research and expertise at the University of Glasgow.

Media enquiries

Researchers on this page can provide insights and expertise in their policy areas to policymakers and the media. Contact: public-policy@glasgow.ac.uk.

Find an expert in...

  • Justice and rights
  • Governance and politics
  • Health and social policy
  • Economy and infrastructure
  • Education and work
  • Climate and the environment

Justice and rights

This group of researchers explore how justice, rights, and legal systems shape fair and inclusive societies. Their expertise is broad, spanning from children's rights to international law, criminal justice, prisons, and legal reform. Their work supports progress on UN Sustainable Development Goals 5 and 16.

Sustainable Development Goals

UN Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender equality iconUN Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutionsicon

See our experts in Justice and rights

  • Professor Chris Gill
  • Dr David McMenemy
  • Dr Diana Camps
  • Eamon Keane
  • Professor Fiona Leverick
  • Professor Henry Lovat
  • Professor Jayita Sarkar
  • Professor Jen Ang
  • Dr Kat Fradera
  • Professor Lesley-Anne Barnes Macfarlane
  • Dr Louise Kennefick
  • Professor Nicole Busby
  • Professor Sarah Armstrong
  • Dr Zihao Li

Spotlight on Justice and rights research

UofG Spotlight, Season 6 episode 3, Legal Aid Reform: What it means for Families and Women, With Satwat Rehman, Marsha Scott, Jen Ang, and Fiona McPhail

Listen to Legal Aid Reform: What It Means for Families and Women

13 November 2025: Tune in to a brand new episode of the UofG Spotlight podcast which tackles access to justice, featuring leading University of Glasgow academics and legal aid practitioners, Fiona McPhail and Jen Ang, and Chief Executive of One Parent Families Scotland Satwat Rehman and Chief Executive of Scottish Women’s Aid Marsha Scott.

A photo of lady justice statue with text that reads Policy Insights

Policy Insights: Beyond doubt - The case against ‘Not Proven’

19 September 2025: As the Scottish Parliament passed the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill, which will abolish the ‘Not Proven’ verdict, a third verdict unique to Scotland, Professors James Chalmers, Fiona Leverick, and Vanessa Munro explore the argument they made for abolishing the verdict in 2021 and crucially what happens next.

A photo of jury seats in a courtroom

Blog: Reviewing the evidence on rape myths and jury decision making

6 May 2025: Fiona Leverick, James Chalmers, Eamon Keane and Jacqueline Kinghan from the University of Glasgow's School of Law write about the evidence on rape myths and jury decision making and how these can be addressed in the courtroom.

Governance and politics

Researchers in this category examine how governance, political systems, and institutional change can support more effective, inclusive, and accountable societies. Their expertise is broad, from elections and democracy, defence and security, to AI governance, peacebuilding, and public services. Their work largely drives forward Sustainable Development Goal 17.

Sustainable Development Goals

UN Sustainable Development Goal 17: Partnership for the goals icon

See our experts in Governance and politics

  • Professor Adina Dudau
  • Professor Ariadne Vromen
  • Professor Anja Neundorf
  • Professor Bernhard Reinsberg
  • Professor Christopher Carman
  • Dr Clementine Hill O'Connor
  • Dr Fred Paxton
  • Dr Ian C. Elliott
  • Dr Jaylan Azer
  • Professor Kezia Dugdale
  • Lucille Tetley-Brown
  • Professor Nicola McEwen
  • Dr Nikolas Kirby
  • Dr Nour Ghadban
  • Dr Paul Reilly
  • Dr Rhys Crilley
  • Professor Sergi Pardos-Prado
  • Dr Timothy Peacock
  • Professor Yannis Tsalavoutas

Spotlight on governance and politics research

A photo of the University of Glasgow Advanced Research Centre building

Research Project: The State of Poverty

The Centre for Public Policy is working on an 18-month project which will assess poverty in Scotland, detailing the impact of siloed decision making on people living with poverty and use an innovative policy lab approach to drive solutions.

A screenshot of the video showing Tim Peacock talking

Watch: Using gaming to explore UN Humanitarian Operations planning

10 June 2025: In a 1-minute video, Dr Tim Peacock talks about an exercise he developed and ran at the United Nations in Geneva in March 2025. The 'HOPE AGE' exercise involves using gaming to explore how humanitarian organisations could deliver provision in unfamiliar and challenging environments, using a hypothetical crisis.

A photo of the US White House

Blog: Cooperation in Crisis (Part one): The impact of US aid agency shutdowns

10 March 2025: The decision by the new US administration to shut down its development agency sent shockwaves around the world. Professor Bernhard Reinsberg, Dr Cecilia Corsini, and Dr Giuseppe Zaccaria write about the 'dire' consequences of the cuts, not only for beneficiary countries and global development, but also for the rule of law and democracy in the US.

Health and social policy

These researchers explore how health and social policies can reduce inequality, improve wellbeing, and build resilient communities.Their work covers a wide range of issues from poverty and public health, to gambling harms, disability, inequality, and more. Their work contributes to the delivery of UN Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 3, and 10.

Sustainable Development Goals

UN Sustainable Development Goal 1: No poverty iconUN Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero hunger iconUN Sustainable Development Goal 3: Health and well-being iconUN Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced inequalities icon

See our experts in Health and social policy

  • Professor Annette Hastings
  • Professor Andrea Williamson
  • Professor Ben Colburn
  • Professor Charlotte Pearson
  • Dr Claire MacRae
  • Dr Dan Fisher
  • Dr Daria Ukhova
  • Dr David Blane
  • Professor David Conway
  • Dr David Walsh
  • Dr Eleanor Grieve
  • Dr Ellen Bishop
  • Professor Ellen Stewart
  • Professor Emilie Combet
  • Dr Emma Laurie
  • Dr Fabiola Creed
  • Dr Frederick Ho
  • Dr Gillian Fergie
  • Dr Harvey Humphrey
  • Professor Heather Wardle
  • Professor Honghan Wu
  • Dr Jana Anderson
  • Dr Jane Cullingworth
  • Dr Jessica Enright
  • Professor Jim Lewsey
  • Dr Jo Inchley
  • Jo Winterbottom
  • Dr Jonathan Stokes
  • Professor Kirstin Mitchell
  • Professor Kate O'Donnell
  • Professor Laurence Moore
  • Louise Lawson
  • Michal Shimonovich
  • Dr Nai Rui Chng
  • Dr Michael Howcroft
  • Professor Nasar Meer
  • Dr Paula Karlsson-Brown
  • Professor Peter Craig
  • Professor Petra Meier
  • Professor Rosalind Searle
  • Professor Ruth Dundas
  • Professor Ruth Patrick
  • Sarah Tipping
  • Professor Sayantan Ghosal
  • Dr Serena Pattaro
  • Professor Sharon Wright
  • Dr Simon Walker
  • Dr Thomas Rochow

Spotlight on Health and social policy research

stethescope

Blog: GP walk in centres will address missingness in healthcare? – not likely, here’s why

30 October 2025: Professor Andrea Williamson writes about the reality of establishing GP walk in centres in Scotland and the role proper resourcing could play in addressing missingness in healthcare services to improving health equity.

 

 

Promo for the episode, Spotlight, Season 5 episode 2, The Cost of Austeriry, David Walsh, Gerry McCartney

UofG Spotlight podcast: The Cost of Austerity

6 February 2025: On the UofG Spotlight podcast, Dr David Walsh and Professor Gerry McCartney join us to explore the impact of austerity on life expectancy, population health and health inequalities across the UK.

 

 

A photo of the inside of the Scottish Parliament chamber

SPICe briefing: How can an understanding of agency be helpful in alleviating suffering?

Read a SPICe briefing, co-authored by Professor Ben Colburn on how to understand suffering and agency in policymaking, sharing a framework they developed which offers a distinctive approach to alleviating suffering and novel ways of addressing difficult policy questions in health and social care.

 

 

Economy and infrastructure

Researchers in this group investigate the systems and strategies that support resilient economies and sustainable infrastructure. This includes expertise in housing policy, creative and cultural development, digital innovation, placemaking, and more; contributing to the delivery of Sustainable Development Goals 9, 11, and 12.

Sustainable Development Goals

UN Sustainable Development Goal 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure iconUN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities iconUN Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production icon

See our experts in Economy and infrastructure

  • Dr David Waite
  • Professor Emeritus Duncan Maclennan
  • Dr Ewan Gibbs
  • Dr Franziska Paul
  • Professor Graeme Roy
  • Dr Helen Traill
  • Dr Inge Ejbye Sørensen
  • Dr Katherine Champion
  • Professor Kenneth Gibb
  • Dr Lauren Tuckerman
  • Dr Lynn Wilson
  • Dr Maha Rafi Atal
  • Dr Mark Wong
  • Dr Mingshu Wang
  • Professor Rebecca Madgin
  • Dr Rhys Williams
  • Dr Richard Osborne
  • Professor Sarah Cook
  • Dr Saurabh Lall
  • Professor Sreevas Sahasranamam
  • Dr Ula Furgal

 

Spotlight on Economy and infrastructure research

A photo of the Glasgow skyline

Policy Insights: Next steps for city-region policy in Scotland

13 November 2025: UofG experts Professor Graeme Roy and Dr David Waite, with colleagues from the University of Strathclyde, share insights into their work on Scottish city-region policy, and their engagement with policymakers to capture what has been working well and what is next for city-region working.

A ship with shipping containers

Blog: Looking at the impact of Trump on geopolitics ahead of COP30

4 November 2025: In this blog Dr Maha Rafi Atal writes about the upcoming COP30 climate summit and the role Donald Trump has played in watering down global environmental commitments during his first year in office. 

A timelapse photo of the UK Parliament building with car lights blurring past

Blog: UK Government going full steam ahead with AI but left the people behind

24 March 2025: As Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces an increase in artificial intelligence (AI) use in the civil service, Dr Mark Wong examines the UK's approach to AI. Drawing on his research, he reflects that UK policy lags behind in developing responsible AI – a missed opportunity and a risk of potentially ‘dire consequences’, if it does not centre the voices, needs, and actions of people most impacted by AI harms.

Education and work

This group brings together expertise on education and work, from media literacy and labour markets to gender and entrepreneurship, education policy, and just transition. Their research supports progress toward UN Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 8.

Sustainable Development Goals

UN Sustainable Development Goal 1: Quality education iconUN Sustainable Development Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth icon

See our experts in Education and work

  • Dr Anna Beck
  • Professor Catherine Lido
  • Professor Chris Chapman
  • Professor David Lundie
  • Dr Eleanor Kirk
  • Professor Ellen Boeren
  • Dr Jalnidh Kaur
  • Professor Simon McGrath
  • Professor Sotiria Grek
  • Dr Tanya Wilson

Spotlight on Education and work research

Photo of boy sitting in classroom with teacher in background

New report from UofG experts says action needed to 'future-proof' Scottish education

A new report written by Professors Chris Chapman and Graham Donaldson calls for immediate action to ‘future proof’ Scottish education, warning it is facing unprecedented challenges that could affect children’s futures.

 

 

Climate and the environment

Focused on the environmental challenges that shape our planet’s future, this group of researchers have broad expertise spanning climate change, the circular economy, food sustainability, urban policy, and climate politics and misinformation, and more.

Their work advances the aims of UN Sustainable Development Goals 6, 7, 13, 14, and 15.

Sustainable Development Goals

UN Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation iconUN Sustainable Development Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy iconUN Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate action iconUN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life below water iconUN Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on land icon

See our experts in Climate and the environment

  • Dr Abraham Zhang
  • Dr Ajaz Ahmed
  • Professor Caroline Gauchotte-Lindsay
  • Honorary Professor Cecilia Tortajada
  • Dr David Bailey
  • Dr Emma Lawlor
  • Dr Hannah Salamon
  • Professor Jaime Toney
  • Professor Jing Yao
  • Professor João Porto de Albuquerque
  • Professor Jude Robinson
  • Dr Jun Young Cheong
  • Dr Katherine Simpson
  • Dr Lluis de Nadal
  • Dr Michelle Bloor
  • Dr Miza Moreau
  • Professor Patrick Bayer
  • Tianyi Tang

Spotlight on Climate and the environment research

A photo of solar panels with someone drilling

Blog: Where are the women in the UK’s green energy transition?

22 January 2025: Dr Hannah Salamon examines the unaddressed challenge on the path to net zero of gender inequality in the green energy sector and the problems this could present for the workforce.

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