Our impact
View the most recent responses to UK Government consultations from the University of Southampton.
Gareth Giles, Head of Public Policy|Southampton
Giles (as he is known to all) brings more than a decade’s worth of experience working between central and local government and the higher education sector. In his current role is responsible for the strategic direction of PPS, financial sustainability of the team and internal and external stakeholder management. Giles is currently working on policy engagement culture change within the University specifically focusing on developing mechanisms that support and celebrate the successes of our diverse range of world leading Early Career Researchers.
Most likely to say: ‘and all that good stuff’.
Biggest fan of: the (home) office plants.
+44 (0)23 8059 8981
+44 (0)7557663644
Yaryna Basystyuk, Policy Engagement Manager
Yaryna brings extensive experience of knowledge exchange between HEIs and the private sector, State government and the United Nations from her time in the United States. In her current role within PPS, she oversees our Policy|Placement programme with national and local government, manages Cambridge Science and Policy (CSaP) fellowship scheme, and leads on engagement with Universities COP26 Network. Yaryna is currently developing and implementing our Policy|Associate Pool programme to offer enhanced insight to principle investigators and exposure to policy for PhD and post-doctoral researchers at the University.
Most likely to say: ‘so we shall see…’.
Biggest fan of: the coast, and everything in and around the water.
+44 (0)23 8059 5466
Wassim Dbouk, Marine and Maritime Policy and Research Fellow
Following his PhD in Marine Environmental Law, and in combination with his diverse past work experience in the private, public, legal and research sectors, most notably with the Lebanese Parliament, Wassim brings a broad, flexible skillset and an astute understanding of the interaction between research, law and policy. Thanks to his academic background, Wassim has been involved in several wide-ranging research projects, during which he collected and analysed data, and presented his research outcomes to the relevant stakeholders. In addition, he is responsible for the scanning, drafting and submission of academic responses to government consultations and Parliamentary Inquires. In his current role as Marine and Maritime Policy and Research Fellow he specialises in creating and delivering policy engagement opportunities for researchers within the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI) and in translating their research outcomes into policy-informing evidence. He is currently involved in a multi-disciplinary research project as part of the Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC), where he is researching the legal and regulatory aspects of the transport of CO2 to support the implementation of the Government’s Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) plans.
Most likely to say: ‘wouldn’t raise an eyebrow in Lebanon’.
Biggest fan of: conscious living and cats.
Chandni Maria Jacob, Specialist Policy Officer (Environment and Life Sciences)
With a background in clinical medicine and public health, Chandni has worked with multiple international organisations to support the development of health policy and clinical guidelines. Her PhD and research have focused on the implementation of a life-course approach in policy and adopting a person-centred approach in clinical care. She has vast experience in the science-policy interface and evidence-informed policymaking having led multiple projects to develop recommendations for international organisations that support policymakers. These include writing policy analyses, reviews and white papers for the World Health Organisation, International Federation of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians, UNICEF and Royal Colleges. She has also supported policy engagement activities for advocacy networks such as the Preconception Partnership and delivered workshops on knowledge translation for researchers. In her current role, she has a keen interest in connecting researchers with policy audiences and providing support for identifying and developing policy-relevant outputs (policy briefs, written and oral evidence etc.) for principal investigators.
Most likely to say: Sure, why not
Biggest fan of: Dogs, travel and baking
Fatima Ozcan, Senior Policy Associate
Fatima is a postgraduate researcher at the University of Southampton, specialising in maritime law and currently continuing her PhD on Cyber Coverage of Autonomous Ships in the Context of Marine Insurance Law. Beyond her academic pursuits, Fatima is also passionate about policy and evidence informed decision-making process.
She entered the policy world as a Policy Associate in 2021 at Public Policy|Southampton with a project on Solid Bulk Cargo Liquefaction: Strategies for Effective Control. She supported the project team with a stakeholder analysis by engaging the project partners and external stakeholders and producing a policy synthesis report that brings together relevant grey literature and other project findings. A few months into the role, she has been offered to manage the consultation activity, supporting university academics in responding to calls for evidence by the UK Parliament and Government. Recently Fatima has been selected for the PPS Local Evidence Catapult Programme where she focuses on investigating health inequalities in Southampton.
Most likely to say: Wanna grab a coffee?
Biggest fan of: Blogging and cycling
Hannah Dalgleish, Knowledge Exchange Fellow
After completing a PhD in Astrophysics at Liverpool John Moores University in 2020, Hannah found herself drifting towards the humanities and social sciences. This journey began at the University of Namibia where she explored the role of astronomy as a means for sustainable development – through education, (indigenous) tourism, and cultural relations. Upon returning to the UK in 2021, she became an Oxford Policy Engagement Fellow, focusing on light pollution. During this time Hannah built up an international dark skies and society community, organised the UK’s first Dark Sky Meeting, and exchanged knowledge with council officers in Northern Ireland as well as the House of Lords. Hannah then spent time at the Sustainable AI Lab in Bonn, working as a Green Talents Fellow on ‘rewilding the night’, before joining the University of Southampton as a Knowledge Exchange Fellow. Here, she is looking forward to bridging the academic-policy gap in order to solve local challenges and support the University’s civic agenda.
Most likely to say: cool beans
Biggest fan of: travelling and trying new things
Helen Ballem, Departmental Administrator
Helen’s extensive experience of being a Departmental Administrator at the University of Southampton for more than 15 years, has given her a great insight on how the mechanisms work and how she can best provide assistance to colleagues. In addition to her other responsibilities within RIS, Helen is currently assisting PPS in keeping the Policy Projects Database up to date and producing monthly analytics which allows PPS to plan ahead and manage their work more efficiently. Her remit includes to get in contact with the principal investigators of each policy project and get the latest update, to liaise with the other members of the PPS team in finding suitable times for meetings with academics and to alert the team whenever a research project ‘s proposal becomes successful.
Most likely to say: ‘OK, cool’
Biggest fan of: F.R.I.E.N.D.S (TV series)
