Director of Policy and Partnerships, Natural History Museum

Continuing Policy Fellow, Centre for Science and Policy

Emma joined the Natural History Museum in 2022 to set up a new Policy Unit, and now leads teams responsible for policy, government relations and international partnerships. Drawing on the Museum’s scientific expertise and public reach, she is working to extend its sphere of influence in the UK and overseas – building strategic partnerships and increasing engagement with those who make and shape policy.

Previously at the Royal Society, the UK’s science academy, she worked with world-leading scientists to influence policy, public debate and industry practice on issues ranging from genetic technologies to the global climate and biodiversity crises. Her work also explored the role of science in public life, leading to publications on the ‘post-truth’ phenomenon and the value of evidence synthesis.

She has also worked for the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, sustainable development charities and teaching organisations, and holds prestigious fellowships with the Westminster Abbey Institute and British-American Project. She has first class degrees in biology and environment from Oxford University, where she conducted her own research on tarsier ecology in Indonesia and participatory video in Tanzania.