Dr Isabel Webb is a Deputy Director at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). In January 2025, Isabel took part in the IPR's Policy Fellowship Programme (PFP), connecting and engaging with University of Bath academics across the disciplines.
What is your role and area of expertise?
"I am the Deputy Director for Technology Strategy and Security in DSIT, which is a role of two halves. I work with policy teams working across a range of emerging technologies such as robotics and neuro-technologies, as well as having a strategic role coordinating technology policy and industrial strategy across the Department."
Which areas of policy do you work on?
"My career anchor sits in the world of science and technology, and I have been working on various areas in this space for five or six years within DSIT and its predecessors. I joined the Civil Service following a career in biology, so it’s great to stay close to my former work in a new way, including my current role leading the DSIT Engineering Biology team."
What value has the IPR Policy Fellowship Programme (PFP) brought to you in your professional role?
"The PFP gave me a chance to dig deeper into the technologies I work on, hearing new perspectives as well as reinforcing evidence with real-world experience. It also provided me with fascinating case studies that I can take forward in my role, and use to highlight the great science and technology of the UK."
Can you describe your experience of taking part in the PFP?
"I spent a great day in Bath meeting with a range of academics working in engineering biology, neuro-technologies, and advanced materials. It was a jam-packed day of meetings with some really productive conversations. A particular highlight for me was the mix of academic and industry/start-up voices I heard, giving me a rounded view of the local ecosystem within the University and beyond."
How has taking part in the PFP impacted your policy work to date?
"The PFP gave me a really good grounding in some of the technologies that I have begun working on more recently, and gave me an up-to-date understanding of the most cutting edge technologies. It also helped surface new policy angles that I’d not previously thought about, and allowed me to return to my team and explore them further."
How did you hear about the PFP?
"I’d taken part in similar programmes at other universities, and when I heard about the Policy Fellowship Programme at the University of Bath I thought it would provide a new opportunity to hear from a fresh set of experts."
What advice would you give to others – both policymakers or academics?
"The best thing you can do is to get out into the real world and meet those working on, or affected by, your work. It’s easy to sit behind a desk and read things, but that has to be supplemented by engaging with genuine experts."
Would you recommend the IPR PFP to colleagues?
"Yes, definitely – it's a really great way to find new sources of expertise and think about challenges in a new way."