Advisory committee

The Advisory Committee supports Public Policy|Southampton's current and future strategy and represents a balanced view across a range of industries. The Committee is led by Gerry Stoker and meets annually with all of the core team.

Professor Gerry Stoker

Gerry is a Professor of Politics and Governance at the University of Southampton, UK. He was previously professor at both Manchester and Strathclyde. Professor Stoker has provided advice to various parts of UK government and is also an expert advisor to the Council of Europe on local government and participation issues. Professor Stoker’s main research interests are in governance, democratic politics, local and regional governance, urban politics, public participation and public service reform.

Professor Tim Allan

Director at Policy Research and Analysis Consulting Services Ltd

Tim Allen is owner or co-owner of two research consultancies, and combines this with teaching post graduates on public policy, and working in various capacities with UK Research Councils. Previously, Tim was research director for the Local Government Association and a civil servant in the Department for Environment, Food and the Treasury. Earlier roles included head of Corporate Strategy, Research and Corporate Governance for the former Countryside Agency, a regional director for the Countryside Commission, and leading programmes to ‘green’ agriculture, before which he worked as a property professional in public and private practice. Tim is a Chartered Surveyor, visiting fellow at Cranfield University, a visiting professor at Birkbeck, a Secretary of State appointee to the Local Public Data Panel and chairs the Advisory Board for the ESRC Centre for Population Change.

Professor AbuBakr Bahaj

Chief Scientific Advisor, Southampton City Council

AbuBakr Bahaj is head of the Energy and Climate Change Division at the University of Southampton where he completed his PhD in 1982 and progressed from a researcher to a Personal Chair of Sustainable Energy. For more than 25 years Professor Bahaj has pioneered sustainable energy research directing one of the UK’s leading university-based research groups, the Sustainable Energy Research Group. He has over 240 published academic articles in journals. He is the Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Marine Energy and is a major contributor to the energy debate at local, national and EU levels. In 2013, Professor Bahaj was appointed Chief Scientific Advisor to Southampton City Council – believed to be the first such appointment in the UK.

Jo-Anne Nadler

Broadcaster and local councillor

Jo-Anne Nadler joined the Conservative Party as an activist in her teens, later working alongside David Cameron as a Party spin doctor during the Major Government, and eventually observing it professionally as a BBC political reporter and freelance author. She has published two books, and has un-paralleled access to contacts throughout the Conservative Party amongst activists, officials and elected politicians and is now an elected councillor in South West London.

Professor Guy Poppy

Chief Scientific Adviser, Food Standards Agency

Guy Poppy gained his DPhil from Oxford University and conducts research in many areas relating to environmental and ecological sciences. He is currently Director of Interdisciplinary Sciences at the University of Southampton and chair of the Worldwide Universities Network expert group on Responding to Climate Change. He is currently leading a large interdisciplinary team researching ecosystem services with a particular focus on securing food supplies without affecting the quality of the environment. This includes projects in Africa, South Asia and South America where conservation versus agriculture is a major issue. He has regularly participated in the public understanding of science and at the science/policy interface and was a major contributor to the GM crops discourse. He is passionate about educating the next generation about science and the environment.

Jon Sopel

BBC North America Correspondent

Jon Sopel is an alumnus of the University of Southampton, where he was Student President. He began his broadcasting career at BBC Radio Solent, later moving on to become the Chief Political Correspondent of BBC News 24. He has presented The Politics Show on BBC One notably interviewing Prime Minster Tony Blair, opposition leader David Cameron and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice amongst others. He has also presented Newsnight, Breakfast, HARDtalk and The Daily Politics. In April 2015 he was made the BBC's North America Editor and currently lives in Washington DC with his wife and two children.