ABOUT US
Scientists for Labour is a Socialist Society affiliated to the Labour Party. It is open to supporters of the Labour Party interested or involved in UK science and technology.
Since its establishment in 1994, SfL has become a strong political voice for science. We aim to improve the understanding of science within the Labour Party and nationally. We are also involved in advising the parliamentary Labour Party on science policy issues.
We organise a range of events from panel discussions to networking meetings, and are always interested in hearing from potential collaborators. You can request a speaker here.
Our constitution, our community standards. Our work on COVID-19
Contact Us
OUR PATRONS
Ben Fernando
Chair
Sir Paul Nurse FRS
Paul Nurse is an English geneticist, former President of the Royal Society and Chief Executive and Director of the Francis Crick Institute. He was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He has been a member of the Labour Party for nearly 40 years.
Lord David Sainsbury
David Sainsbury is a businessman, philanthropist and former Minister for Science and Innovation from 1998-2006. In 2008, Sainsbury was elected as an honorary Fellow of the Royal Society and in 2011 was elected Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
Dr Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown is a British politician who was Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010, and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1997 to 2007. He has been a consistent supporter of science and engineering throughout his career.
EXECUTIVE COMITTEE
Ben Fernando
Chair
Ben is a postgraduate researcher at the University of Oxford, with a specialty in numerical modelling of wave propagation. He has been Chair of SfL since 2018 and previously served as secretary and vice-chair for membership.
Paul Henry
Vice Chair Membership
Paul is a Financial Technology Consultant specialising in data science. Prior to beginning his career in financial services, he completed a PhD at the University of Nottingham in sustainable chemistry. His area of research was using spectroscopy and machine learning to monitor biotechnological processes. His main political interests include environmental sustainability, particularly its social and economic impacts.
Izzy Creed
Secretary
Izzy is currently a Theoretical Chemistry PhD student at the University of Oxford, studying a Quantum Mechanical problem, known as Many-Body localisation. Izzy previously attended Oxford University both for her undergraduate degree (MChem, 2018) and masters degree (MSci, 2019). Izzy main political interest are in Health, Science and Technology, and Education.
Joe Eastwood
Webmaster
Joe graduated from the University of Nottingham with a masters degree in mechanical engineering. He is now a researcher in the Manufacturing Metrology Team, focusing on the automation of form measurement through the application of machine learning.
Alongside sitting on the SfL committee Joe is actively involved in campaigning for the party, and is especially proud of winning his CLP’s 'best Christmas jumper' prize during the last election.
Roisin McCallion
Roisin is currently a masters student at the University of York in Social Policy. She previously completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Oxford, before being elected as Vice President Welfare and Equal Opportunities at Oxford Student Union. Having been a member of the Labour Party since the age of 14, she joined SfL during the COVID-19 pandemic to assist with the BAME report. Roisin’s main areas of political interest are issues of inequality, particular in relation to mental health.
Alison M Dunning
Alison M Dunning is a genetic epidemiologist and a 4th generation Labour member. Among the first cohort of Leeds schoolchildren to be comprehensively educated, she went on to Lancaster University and completed her PhD at UCL in the genetics of heart disease. After that she joined large, international collaborations helping to discover risk factors for breast cancer and in 2016 was made Cambridge University Reader in Cancer Molecular Genetics. In addition to her research, she sits on committees to improve workplace diversity and inclusion and reduce the damaging public health effects of bullying.
Adam Thompson
Vice Chair Policy
Adam is a research fellow at the University of Nottingham working in dimensional and surface metrology, focussed on developing measurement technologies for advanced manufacturing processes. In addition to sitting on the SfL committee, in his spare time Adam acts as a volunteer organiser and social media co-ordinator for his constituency Labour party (Erewash) and stood in the 2019 general election as the Labour candidate for Amber Valley.
Joe Buckley
Treasurer
Joe currently works researching the theory of multivalency at UCL, with a focus on applications relating to COVID-19 and cancer. He previously worked as a software developer and holds an MRes in Fluid Dynamics from Imperial and an MSci in Chemistry with Mathematics from UCL. His other research interests are nanomedicine, chemotaxis, drug delivery and mathematical chemistry in general. He is currently chair of Tower Hamlets Local Campaign Forum and have previously been a branch secretary for Unite and a Rep for UCU.
Juna Sathian
Membership Secretary
Juna is a Senior Lecturer in Physics at Northumbria University Newcastle, with research interests in Laser and Maser technology. Before that, she was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Imperial College London and had a PhD from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia in Laser Physics. Apart from her research and teaching, she is active in outreach and career talks in STEM, influencing the younger generation's future. She currently Chairs the SfL Newcastle Central Branch and the Blakelaw Branch Labour Party and serves as a Community Councillor.
Judith Skiming
Judith is a full-time science teacher at a state school in Liverpool. She is currently Head of Chemistry and is passionate about STEM education and encouraging young people to study science. Prior to becoming a teacher Judith worked as an NHS doctor for six years, specialising in paediatrics. Her main political interests include education, health and science.
Daniel Villar
Daniel is a behavioural ecologist studying for a DPhil in Zoology at the University of Oxford. Daniel completed a BA in Biological Sciences at the University of Oxford in 2019 and a MSc(Res) in Ecology, Evolution, and Animal Behaviour from the University of St. Andrews in 2020. Daniel has been a member of the Labour Party since 2017, and of the UCU since 2019. His main political interest is changes in the biosphere, especially animal behaviour, due to human pressures, though as an immigrant he is also has an interest in the intersection between immigration and science.
Ben Whitaker
Ben is a professor of Chemical Physics at the University of Leeds, with research interests in the areas of molecular reaction dynamics and time-resolved laser spectroscopy. He has been a long-time proponent of collaborative European science through a number of EU framework grants that he coordinated. He joined SfL at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and contributed to précising the burgeoning scientific literature for the daily scientific briefings SfL produced at the time. Other interests include energy policy to engage with climate change.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Triin Ojakaar
Triin graduated from the University of Oxford with a master’s degree in psychological research where her research focussed on temporal perception and production in cognitive ageing. She is now working as a regulatory affairs associate for SharpTx, a young startup building digital therapeutics that help with the prevention, detection and monitoring of mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Triin’s main areas of political interest are science, health and sustainability.
Lise Magnollay
Lise Magnollay is a neuroscientist and experienced science communicator with a dual background in science and humanities. She has expertise in writing on science topics for diverse audiences such as patients, politicians, scientists and the general public. She has both a MRes and a PhD in Neuroscience from UCL.
Mike Cassidy
Mike Cassidy is an Independent Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. He has a PhD in Earth and Ocean Science from the University of Southampton and 8 years of research experience working across the world, specialising in geochemistry and volcano science.
Steve Sparks
Steve Sparks is a geologist from University of Bristol. His research spans geology, volcanology, natural hazards, fluid mechanics and quantitative risk assessment. Past contributions include being Chair of the RAE2008 panel on environmental and earth system science and chair of the Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education. He is currently Chair of the European Research Council Panel for advanced grants on earth and environmental sciences and is a Trustee of the Natural History Museum.
Hugh O'Brien
Hugh is currently a PhD candidate in biomedical engineering at Kings College London. Prior to this he completed a BA in psychology, MSc in computer science and MRes in biomedical imaging sciences. He has also worked in the academic publishing and software industries.