Dr Kirsty Shaw, a scientist from Manchester Withington, swapped the lab bench for the green benches when she joined Jeff Smith MP in parliament recently.

Jeff met with Dr Shaw from Manchester Metropolitan University as part of a unique pairing scheme run by the Royal Society – the UK’s national academy of science, with support from the Government Science & Engineering (GSE) profession. 

The scheme pairs scientists with parliamentarians and civil servants so that they can learn about each other’s worlds and explore how research findings can inform policy making.

During the week, Dr Shaw spent time with Jeff in Westminster to get a behind the scenes insight into how policy is formed and how research can be used to make evidence based decisions. The visit also gave Jeff the opportunity to learn more about Dr Shaw’s research.

Jeff Smith, Labour MP for Manchester Withington, said:

“In parliament we need to make decisions on complex topics. Building links with the UK’s top scientists helps us access scientific advice so that we can make decisions based on the best evidence available.

“Meeting expert scientists from my constituency and all over the UK is a great reminder that the UK is a world leader in science. We should use the expertise of our brightest scientists to provide evidence for policy making.

“It was great to meet Kirsty and hear about forensic biology. I’m looking forward to learning about her work when I visit the lab at MMU later this year.”