Dr Simon Cork, a scientist from Erith, swapped the lab bench for the green benches when he joined Teresa Pearce MP in parliament last week.
Teresa Pearce MP met with Dr Cork who works at Imperial College London as part of a unique pairing scheme run by the Royal Society – the UK’s national academy of science, with support from the Government Science & Engineering (GSE) profession.
The scheme pairs scientists with parliamentarians and civil servants so that they can learn about each other’s worlds and explore how research findings can inform policy making.
During the week Dr Cork spent time with Teresa in Westminster to get a behind the scenes insight into how policy is formed and how their research can be used to make evidence based decisions. The visit also gave Teresa Pearce MP the opportunity to learn more about Dr Cork’s research.
Teresa said :
“In parliament I need to make decisions on complex topics. Building links with the UK’s top scientists helps me access scientific advice so that I can make decisions based on the best evidence available.Meeting expert scientists from my constituency and all over the UK is a great reminder that the UK is a world leader in science. We should use the expertise of our brightest scientists to provide evidence for policy making.
It was great to meet Dr Simon Cork and learn about his area of research in obesity, gut-brain axis, the vagus nerve, and the regulation of appetite.I’m looking forward to getting hands on experience of how Dr Cork works when I visit him in the lab.”
