Defra hires six researchers to feed into post-Brexit policymaking

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has appointed six academic fellows to ensure that research underpins its post-Brexit policies.

The fellows will carry out a systems research programme, the results of which will inform future policy decisions, Defra said on 3 May. The programme will support Defra’s work on Brexit and will “ensure that future policies are informed by the best possible research,” the department said.

Five of the fellows will be tasked with looking at specific research areas: rural land use; food; air quality; marine; and resources and waste. They will conduct systems mapping to look at how policy changes in one of these areas could affect another. The sixth fellow will look at broader methodology and ensure that interconnected environmental issues are considered.