My placement at the parliamentary office of science and technology

Daniel Rathbone writes about his EPSRC-funded placement at the parliamentary office of science and technology

I recently completed a three-month fellowship at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) funded by EPSRC.  POST is an office of both Houses of Parliament tasked with providing impartial four page briefings for parliamentarians on policy issues with a science and technology focus. The topics covered in these briefings or ‘POSTnotes’ are decided by a board of MPs, peers and outside experts; ensuring that they are timely and of interest to parliamentarians. I was based in offices on Millbank, close to the Palace of Westiminster.

During my fellowship I researched and co-wrote a POSTnote on Big Data, Crime and Security. This was part of a series of notes produced as part of an ongoing ‘Big Data’ theme. Big data is a term used to describe data that cannot be dealt with using traditional analysis techniques (such as spread sheets). The note covers a number of ways big data held by the police and security services can be exploited to improve policing and security as well as the issues that arise from its use. The POSTnote can be found online here.

Researching the note required interviewing stakeholders from a wide variety of backgrounds including academics, the police, software companies and government departments. Talking to these stakeholders was a very interesting and engaging process and I learnt a great deal about an important and growing area of policing and security.  Once the note was drafted it went through a process of internal and external review for accuracy and balance before being published online. As a result of my work at POST I was asked to present my research at a master class on big data in policing at the College of Policing, which was a new and exciting experience.

I really enjoyed my time at POST and it was great to see how scientific evidence is used in the work of parliament and the policy making process. It has certainly encouraged me to pursue a career in science policy when I finish my PhD.  It was also great to spend three months in parliament learning more about how the legislative process works as well as being able to walk around the Palace of Westminster, attend Prime Minister’s Questions and climb Big Ben!