Trading places: Academics join Royal Society Pairing Scheme to explore Westminster from the inside

In March 2025, University of Birmingham academics Dr Thomas Hird, Assistant Professor in Quantum Technologies in the School of Physics and Astronomy, and Dr Dominik Kubicki, Assistant Professor in the School of Chemistry, joined 28 other UK scientists in Westminster as part of the Royal Society Pairing Scheme 2025.

From 24-27 March, 30 scientists from across the UK swapped places with politicians and civil servants for four days, exploring the world of policymaking through the prestigious Royal Society Pairing Scheme. The scheme, which has been running since 2001 in partnership with the Government Office for Science's GSE Profession Team, aims to build stronger relationships between scientists and policymakers, helping to ensure that political decisions are informed by robust scientific evidence.

Dr Dominik J. Kubicki was paired with Laurence Turner MP, who represents the Northfield constituency. With over 70 published research papers in materials chemistry and solid-state NMR spectroscopy, Dr Kubicki’s research focuses on developing new materials for sustainable optoelectronic technologies. He currently holds a £2.2 million ERC Starting Grant to investigate the atomic-level structure of metal halide perovskite solar cells. He received his PhD in Chemistry from EPFL, Switzerland, and worked at Cambridge Chemistry and the Cavendish Laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher.

Dr Thomas Hird was paired with a civil servant from the Quantum Office within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). Dr Hird received his doctorate in Atomic & Laser Physics from the University of Oxford in 2021, researching quantum memories in warm atomic vapours for quantum information processing. His research encompasses atom-light interactions for quantum communication and computation, with further applications in gravitational wave detection and fundamental particle physics. Before joining Birmingham, he was a senior researcher on the Atomic Interferometric Observatory and Network project at the University of Oxford.

The scheme took place in the week where Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her Spring Statement, at a time when the role of science and innovation in driving economic growth has never been more important.

Over the course of the week, scientists got a behind-the-scenes insight into how policy is formed, shadowing a policy maker to learn about their work and how they can best share their expertise.

On Wednesday evening, a Parliamentary reception was held with speeches from Baroness Brown of Cambridge FRS; Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society; and Chi Onwurah MP, Chair of the House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee.

Previous participants of the pairing scheme include Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Greg Clark, former Chair of the Commons Science and Technology Committee, Nick Clegg, former Deputy Prime Minister, and Caroline Lucas MP, former leader of the Green Party.

The scheme will continue later in the year when parliamentarians visit their scientist pairs at their home institutions.