Tuesday 24 March 2026 3:00pm to 4:30pm
MPhil in Conservation Leadership Teaching Room, East Tower, David Attenborough Building
About
Engaging with the UK Parliament as a Researcher
This seminar explores how academic research can inform scrutiny, legislation, and debate in the UK Parliament. It explains how Parliament works, how research is used in practice, and how researchers can identify opportunities to share their expertise.
Parliament is a key site for research engagement. As a politically plural body, it offers multiple entry points into policy debate; its activities cover the full breadth of public policy; its scrutiny processes create regular and transparent opportunities to contribute evidence; and research submitted to Parliament can shape future debates and legislative work. Researchers who understand how Parliament uses evidence can identify where their expertise can have the greatest impact and increase the relevance, visibility and societal value of their work. The session will include substantial time for questions and discussion.
Speakers
Dr Leslie-Anne Duvic-Paoli is a Reader in Environmental Law at King’s College London and a member of its Centre for Climate Law & Governance. She is currently embedded in the UK Parliament, as the Thematic Research Lead for International Affairs and National Security, where she supports the use of academic evidence in policy processes. Leslie-Anne’s research focuses on states’ environmental obligations under international law and on public participation in climate governance. She is currently preparing a legal commentary on the Convention on Biological Diversity. Before joining King’s in 2017, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance.
She will be joined by Nuala Burnett, Senior researcher at the House of Commons Library. Nuala is the lead researcher for both climate change and water, providing impartial, evidence-led research and briefing to MPs and their staff. She brings over five years of experience working in environmental policy and research across government, including at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Government Office for Science, Ofwat, and the National Audit Office. Nuala read Geography at the University of Oxford and holds an MSc in Environmental Policy and Regulation from the London School of Economics.
We will also be joined by Megan Groom from CSaP,
The session lasts for one hour, and will be followed by refreshments. Please stay around and chat!
Sign up here: https://forms.office.com/e/QfKQPWmDhe?origin=lprLink
Numbers are limited because of the size of the room. Please email Diane (dll1000@cam.ac.uk) if you can no longer come, so that someone else can take your place.
Photo of Westminster by Mac Blac on Unsplash