Linda Bauld holds the Bruce and John Usher Chair in Public Health in the Usher Institute, College of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and is Interim Chief Social Policy Adviser for the Scottish Government. Her research focuses on two main areas: the evaluation of complex health interventions, and how research can inform public health policy. She currently leads two research Consortia – the Tobacco Control Capacity Programme, involving research teams in five countries in Africa and three in South Asia – and SPECTRUM, involving 10 UK Universities and partner organisations conducting research on the commercial determinants of health. She has also been involved in research on Covid-19, in particularly examining asymptomatic testing and behavioural responses to public health guidelines, along with working extensively with the media during the pandemic. Between 2014 and August 2021 she combined her academic roles with serving as Cancer Research UK’s cancer prevention adviser. Professor Bauld is a Trustee of Diabetes UK and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, the Faculty of Public Health, the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Academy of Social Sciences. In June 2021 she was awarded an OBE for guiding the public health response to, and public understanding of Covid-19.
Dr Karen Edge is a Reader in Educational Leadership at University College London.
Karen’s most recent study is the ESRC-funded Global City Leaders Project. Working with 60+ Generation X (under-40-year old) school leaders in London, New York and Toronto, the research examined careers, leadership and future aspirations. Based on findings, Karen and the team is actively engaged in research and advocacy work to inform system and school-level strategies to bolster leader recruitment, development and retention. In 2015, Karen won the UCL IOE Director’s Prize for Public Engagement.
Karen consults domestically and internationally for organisations including Local Authorities, Department for Education (UK), ActionAid/Gates/ Hewlett Foundations and STIR Education. Karen also regularly delivers keynotes and workshops for academic and professional audiences on leadership, knowledge management, talent spotting, retention and organisation and system-level reform.
Karen is a member of the Economic and Social Research Council (UK) and Danish Strategic Research Review Panels and the UKFIET Executive Board. Karen is the Past Editor of Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability and a board member of School Leadership and Management and Leadership and Policy in Schools. Karen holds Visiting Academic posts in Canada, Chile and Malaysia She is an international advisor for the International School Principal Program and a governor at Martin Primary and Octavia House schools in London.
Karen teaches on a range of modules examining leadership, organisational change management, research methods, education policy and diversity in organisation. She is currently leading a ground-breaking simultaneous graduate-level module between UCL Institute of Education, University of Toronto and the University of Melbourne. The 12-week module focuses on human rights, democracy and transnational policy and brings together 35 students and over 15 faculty members. Karen also led a series of Live Master-Classes on Neuroscience and Learning between UCL and Hong Kong University.