Usher Institute academics appointed to DSIT College of Experts

Kathrin Cresswell and Martyn Pickersgill join leading specialists chosen to provide the UK Government with rapid access to scientific and technical expertise.

Kathrin Cresswell, Professor of Digital Innovations in Health and Care, and Martyn Pickersgill, Professor of Sociology of Science and Medicine and Co-Head of the Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society, have been appointed to the UK Government's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) College of Experts.

The DSIT College of Experts is a network of independent specialists that provides the department with fast, flexible access to leading scientific and technical expertise to inform science and technology policymaking. It was launched at the Royal Society of London on 18 June 2026, bringing together members from universities, industry and research institutes across the UK. Kathrin and Martyn are among 71 members selected through a highly competitive process that attracted nearly 1,200 applications from experts in their fields.

I'm delighted to have been appointed to the DSIT College of Experts, and to provide social science expertise to inform the work of DSIT. I'm looking forward to working alongside experts from across the UK to help ensure policy is informed by robust evidence.

Professor Kathrin Cresswell Professor of Digital Innovations in Health and Care, Usher Institute

It’s an honour to join the DSIT College of Experts and to contribute social science insight and evidence to government. I look forward to working with specialists from across disciplines and sectors to help shape science and technology policy and programmes. 

Professor Martyn Pickersgill Professor of Sociology of Science and Medicine, and Co-Head of Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society, Usher Institute

The launch of the College of Experts at the Royal Society brought together an extraordinary group of independent specialists from across the UK, spanning AI, quantum, life sciences, cyber security, and far beyond. Seeing DSIT colleagues and world-leading academics and practitioners in the same room was a powerful reminder of what this department can achieve when it draws on the best available expertise. 

Professor Chris Johnson DSIT Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the College of Experts

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