Sophie is passionate about solving complex social problems.
Whilst studying Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, she became acutely interested in why we trust science, and how we use it effectively to untangle some of the biggest issues facing society. Identifying the Government as a key player in solving intractable issues using evidence-based policies, Sophie joined the Civil Service Fast Stream soon after graduating.
Since then, she has worked across a number of social policy areas, from exploring how to support the long-term unemployed back into work; through to emergency planning, preparing the UK for high-impact, low-probability risks (such as volcanic eruptions in Iceland!) and working to alleviate community distress and damage during extreme flooding in 2013/14, as part of the UK Government’s emergency decision making machinery, COBRA. She spent two years investigating the challenges posed by childhood poverty and disadvantage, and played an instrumental role in developing and delivering a key cross-Government strategy to tackle this burning injustice.a
Sophie has also been responsible for supporting a senior Cabinet Minister, the Secretary to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to manage and direct his disability and pensions portfolio, gaining a deep and meaningful understanding of the variety and the complexity of welfare challenges in the UK.
Sophie is currently a behavioural scientist for the Department for Work and Pensions, where she leads a team investigating how to support major transformation programmes to deliver culture change to deliver their social and business benefits. Our behaviours – and changes to our behaviour – are key not only to radically reforming businesses’ productivity – but also contribute to our own, and our colleagues’, welfare and impact critically on the citizens that we serve. Sophie is excited to fuse her deep knowledge of public policy with deep, scientific rigour in thinking creatively and innovatively about how all of us behave in the workplace.