Policy Fellow Alumnus, Centre for Science and Policy

Louis is Director of Science, Innovation and Skills at the Institute of Physics. His work areas include tackling the STEM shortage by ensuring everyone has access to world class education and training; unlocking and fostering the capabilities of 'deeptech' businesses and curating more public debate on some of the key issues of our times.

Previously, Louis was Deputy Director of Future Sectors, BEIS, where he was responsible for industrial policy in key technologies such as AI and Robotics, and ran technology consultancy service for sector teams, working recently in sectors such as EdTech, InsurTech and LawTech.

Prior to that, he was Head of the Challenger Business Programme in the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, and before that he was Head of Technology for Aerospace, Marine and Defence. Louis also previous worked at UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), where he was Deputy Director for Science and Innovation and responsible for leading the UKTI Innovation Gateway – a 'front door' to the UK innovation system for large international investors and corporates, and a runway to international opportunities for innovation-led UK companies in the 8 GREAT technologies. While Louis was Head of Science and Innovation at UKTI, he coordinated the department's relationships with the UK innovation ecosystem, ran a global 'Innovation is GREAT' campaign, and supported UK businesses to win lucrative contracts from 'Big Science' facilities such as CERN, ITER, ELI and the SKA. He previously held a variety of roles in the Science and Innovation space within the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) as a civil service fast-streamer – European Programmes at the UK Space Agency, Stakeholder Engagement for Higher Education, International Strategy and Negotiations lead at the Intellectual Property Office, and Senior Policy Advisor for the set-up phase of the Green Investment Bank, and for the EU Emissions Trading System (EUETS).

Prior to joining BEIS in November 2009, Louis spent 3 years in Japan studying Japanese language to fluency, and carrying out post-graduate research into Japanese Philosophy and non-classical Mathematical Logic. Drawing on this experience he wrote a weekly column for the Japan Times for three years. He graduated from Kings College London in 2005 with a first-class honours degree in Philosophy. In his spare time, he is studying for a BA in Physics with the Open University and enjoys recreational flying.