What have we learned about the epidemiology of covid-19 since the onset of the UK’s lockdown? In the twelfth episode of our series on Science, Policy and Pandemics, our host Dr Rob Doubleday was joined by disease dynamic experts to discuss what we know now about the dynamics of covid-19 that we didn't know twelve weeks ago.

As part of our podcast series on Science, Policy & Pandemics, Dr Rob Doubleday and Salma Shah explored how the relationship between scientists and policymakers works in practice. With guests Lord Alistair Darling and Professor Frank Kelly, they discussed how ministers and their scientific advisers can build relationships based on trust, and how the nature of decisions, the personalities of the people involved, and the wider political context can shape those vital relationships.

The challenges facing government tend to be mutlifacted, complex, chronic, social, economic and environmental, and their causes and potential solutions are typically unobvious, suggests Paul Kett, Director General at the Department for Education. As part of CSaP's 2020 Annual Virtual Conference, we explored how systems thinking can help government seek solutions to wicked problems.

As part of our series on Science, Policy and Pandemics, we explored the principles and practice of decision making in government during health emergencies, using the UK's response to Ebola, Novichok, and childhood obesity as case studies.

As part of our 2020 Virtual Annual Conference, we asked: how does citizen science help us think about science not merely as a matter of applying expert knowledge within policy, but rather as a different set of ways of developing understanding and mobilizing science through broader processes of engagement and inquiry?

In the first session of CSaP's 2020 annual virtual conference, panelists from the civil service and academia explored food, food policy and different ways of understanding the food system.

As part of our series on Science, Policy and Pandemics, we explored food insecurity, the public policies to support food provision to those who are shielding, and supply chain resilience in the context of the covid-19 pandemic.

As part of our series on Science, Policy and Pandemics, we explored some of the new opportunities and challenges for innovative technology in the context of COVID-19, including trustworthy digital systems, digital identity and immunity passports.

As part of our series on Science, Policy and Pandemics, we explored the implications of the COVID-19 shock for international trade and labour market inequalities, with a focus on the UK context.

In late April, CSaP hosted a professional development workshop for early career researchers from the UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in the Application of Artificial Intelligence to the study of Environmental Risks (AI4ER) to explore how researchers can successfully engage with policymaking processes. Throughout the session, Dr Rob Doubleday, James Cemmel, Professor Bill Sutherland, and Dr Emily Shuckburgh shared lessons they have learned while operating at the science-policy interface. Based on their insights and experiences, we have collated their wisdom into ten tips for researchers interested in engaging with policymaking.