Laura is the Deputy Editor of The Conversation UK. She spent more than a decade as the Conversation’s Politics Editor and Assistant Editor and has also spent time as the Conversation’s Technology Editor. Prior to joining The Conversation, Laura worked as a reporter for Research Europe and news editor for Research Fortnight, a specialist publication focusing on science, technology and higher education policy.

Paul is the Investigations Editor and Assistant Editor at The Conversation. He commissions and edits longform journalism for the Insights series. Paul has been a journalist for over 20 years and before joining The Conversation he worked as a news reporter for BBC news online. He has also worked for The Press Association, as well as national and regional newspapers. As a journalist, he specialised on breaking news, court and crime reporting.

Avery is a writer and editor with professional experience in social media, news editing, and political reporting. Before joining The Conversation, she completed her MA in Applied Linguistics at UCL, writing her dissertation on the design of political COVID-19 memes in the UK.

Grace Allen joined The Conversation as Education and Young People editor in January 2020. Previously, she spent two years working in industry print media as a writer and editor. She has a PhD in history from the Warburg Institute, University of London and has held postdoctoral positions at the University of Manchester and the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice.

Before joining The Conversation as a commissioning editor, Heather studied an MA in International Journalism at City, University of London. While there, she briefly interned with both the Islington Tribune and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. She also holds a BA in English Language and Literature from Brock University in Canada.

Sarah Reid has been a writer and editor for 25 years, starting out in local newspapers before becoming a senior production journalist with the Press Association in Glasgow. She was production editor with The Big Issue for several years, before going on to edit Quids in!, a money magazine and website for people on low incomes. As a freelance journalist, she has written on ethical business, social enterprise and personal finance.

Since studying biology, Anna has worked in the media for more than two decades, from TV production to magazine journalism and radio broadcasting. As a freelance environmental journalist, she has written regularly for many national publications including The Guardian, BBC Future, New Scientist and Positive News with a focus on solutions. Her first book, Go Toxic Free: Easy and sustainable ways to reduce chemical pollution, was published in 2022. Anna lives in Devon by the sea.

Rachael started her career as a news reporter on the Eastern Daily Press and went on to write for The Times, The Guardian and Evening Standard. She has won various journalism awards including the British Society of Magazine Editors' specialist editor of the year, and awards for travel and science writing. Before joining The Conversation she was the editor-in-chief of the global magazine Index on Censorship and managing editor at Business Traveller magazine.

Steven Vass has been at The Conversation since 2014 in a variety of roles, including Scotland Editor and Senior Business and Economy Editor. He was previously a reporter for the Sunday Herald and The Herald in areas like business/tech and media, as well as having spent several years as a development volunteer in Zambia and several more as a media analyst in London. He is the author of Let the Music Play (Velocity: 2024), about how synths and drum machines changed 70s - 80s R&B. He is based in...

Jenna started in regional journalism before moving on to work for B2B police website as news editor. For the last three years Jenna has worked as a press officer and then copywriter for wildlife conservation charity the RSPB.

Anna Walker joined The Conversation as senior Arts and Culture editor in November 2022 and was previously the editor of Reader’s Digest UK. She is also an author of non-fiction under the name Anna Lou Walker, including The Little Book of Vaginas. She is based in Yorkshire.

Jane Wright has worked for a variety of Scottish newspapers including The Herald, The Daily Mail and Scotland on Sunday. In 1999, she joined the launch team of The Sunday Herald and edited the magazine for eight years. She moved to London to launch Eurostar's new magazine, and edited several travel publications. Returning to Glasgow in 2016, she joined The Conversation in March 2017.

Gemma joined The Conversation in early 2014 and has worked in a number of roles including education editor, society editor and global affairs editor, as well as on The Anthill Podcast. Before joining The Conversation, Gemma worked for five years as assistant editor at the Paris-based The Africa Report magazine where she focused on business, technology and education.

Katie earned a BA in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame and then studied radio documentary at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland, Maine. Katie brings her passion for storytelling to the Conversation Weekly team and The Conversation US Local team.

Chris joined The Conversation as Chief Executive in May 2018. The Conversation is the world's leading publisher of research-based news and analysis. A unique collaboration between academics and journalists, The Conversation exists to democratise knowledge. He previously worked for the Associated Press as Director of Strategy & Development, and for the BBC as Chief of Staff where he advised the COO and Director-General.

Jo Adetunji is Executive Editor – Partnerships of The Conversation and was previously Editor-in-Chief. She has previously worked as a reporter and editor at the Guardian, and has also written for The Times and The Independent.

Matt launched and manages The Conversation's subsidiary, Universal Impact, providing bespoke training, editing, writing, video production, impact and policy engagement services. He is also a Co-Investigator on the International Public Policy Observatory (IPPO). He was previously Deputy Editor of The Conversation. Before joining The Conversation, Matt was a magazine editor and features executive on The Daily Mail.

Khalil works on bringing more value to more people in more places with our unique evidence-based journalism. He has a keen interest in science, and has written for the Guardian, Scientific American, nature.com and others. He worked on science blogging networks for Nature Publishing Group before joining The Conversation.

Alice joined The Conversation as Social Media Producer in 2021. She holds a B.A. in Drama and Creative Writing.

Part of the team that launched The Conversation in the UK in 2013, Michael has been its environment + energy editor, technology editor, and membership editor through a nearly 20-year career in journalism. As director of operations he also manages the membership of 90+ member institutions and reader donation campaigns.

Matt launched and manages The Conversation's subsidiary, Universal Impact, providing bespoke training, editing, writing, video production, impact and policy engagement services. He is also a Co-Investigator on the International Public Policy Observatory (IPPO). He was previously Deputy Editor of The Conversation. Before joining The Conversation, Matt was a magazine editor and features executive on The Daily Mail.

Adam comes to Universal Impact with more than 10 years of editorial experience. He has worked as journalist for the BBC and as news editor at The Argus in Brighton. His background also includes work for press agencies and in communications. Adam studied at the University of Birmingham before getting a postgraduate qualification from the Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Culture.

Rebecca joined The Conversation in 2024 as Finance Coordinator. Previously, Rebecca has worked in various sectors in finance, including social housing, insurance, practice and nuclear waste. Additionally Rebecca has experience in bookkeeping, treasury, tax and annual accounts. Qualified in AAT in Manchester, she still lives there with her cats and husband.

David is Deputy Chair of TCUK and chairs The Conversation International Sub Committee. He is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Oxford's Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, following a decade as its director. He co-founded the Institute’s annual Digital News Report. His career has spanned broadcasting and academia, and he previously worked at the BBC as a reporter, editor and Controller Public Policy and is the author of several publications on media policy.

Other Interests/affiliations that may conflict with The Conversation UK: None

Katie Metzler is Vice President for Social Science Innovation at SAGE Publishing. She has led editorial and product management teams to develop new resources and digital products to support social science education and research. Much of her work at SAGE has centred on creating products that enable researchers and students to learn and apply robust research methodology. Katie is also a member of the board of the Campaign for the Social Sciences.

Vivienne Parry OBE is a writer and broadcaster. A scientist by training, Vivienne hosts medical programmes for BBC Radio 4, writes widely on health, presents films, facilitates many high-level conferences, and trains young researchers. She has a part-time role as Head of Engagement at Genomics England which delivered the 100,000 Genomes Project. She completed a term on the board of UK Research & Innovation, overseeing the UK’s £7bn research budget.

Rachel Walker is General Counsel & Chief Administrative Officer (Europe) at GLP Capital Partners, where she set up the European in-house Legal, Compliance and Governance function. She oversees GCP’s European Legal, Governance, Risk and Regulatory programmes, has experience leading the GCP European Marketing and Communications team, and leads GCP’s Luxembourg operations. She is a member of the GCP Europe board and management team and a member of the European investment committee.

Kirsty Walker is UCL’s Vice-President, External Engagement. She took up the role in August 2022 following a successful and wide-ranging career in political communications and journalism, including spending nearly 13 years as a political correspondent in Westminster. During her reporting career, she covered many world-changing events and travelled with successive British Prime Ministers reporting from places such as Iraq, Afghanistan, the White House and the Kremlin.

Professor Colleen Murrell works at Dublin City University where she teaches and researches broadcasting and international newsgathering. Her book 'BBC Women Reporting the World: Conversations with Foreign Correspondents' was published in September 2025. Colleen worked as a reporter and academic in Australia and in the UK as a news editor for media companies including the BBC, ITN, AP, TF1, ABC and SBS. She was the lead researcher for the annual Reuters Digital News Report Ireland (2021-4).

Professor Colleen Murrell works at Dublin City University where she teaches and researches broadcasting and international newsgathering. Her book 'BBC Women Reporting the World: Conversations with Foreign Correspondents' was published in September 2025. Colleen worked as a reporter and academic in Australia and in the UK as a news editor for media companies including the BBC, ITN, AP, TF1, ABC and SBS. She was the lead researcher for the annual Reuters Digital News Report Ireland (2021-4).

Tim is the founding Principal of South College, Durham University and Associate Pro Vice Chancellor Engagement. He is a newspaper historian, campaigner for press freedom and an academic member of the university's Centre for Modern Conflicts and Cultures. His research depicts the dissent within British and American newspapers from 1936-1945. He wrote Reporting the Second World War - The Press and the People 1939-1945 and This is Today - A Biography of The Today Programme.

Dr Glenda Cooper is the deputy head of the journalism department at City, University of London She wrote Reporting Humanitarian Disasters in a Social Media Age (Routledge, 2018) and co-edited Humanitarianism, Communications and Change (Peter Lang, 2015). In 2020, with Professor Howard Tumber, she was awarded a British Academy Small Research Grant to research Alistair Cooke, after becoming the first person granted access to the Cooke family archives and BBC archives of his work.

Silke Machold, PhD, is the Pro-Vice Chancellor Research and Innovation at Leeds Beckett University. She is a Fellow of the European Academy of Management, where she previously served as Vice-President for Governance. Her research interests are in board processes and behaviors and feminist perspectives on corporate governance. She was the principal supervisor for a H2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellowship on governance in SMEs (2017-2019) and PI of an EU Justice Department funded project on...

Lisa was appointed Pro Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation at the University of Surrey in October 2023. She is responsible for delivering the University's research and innovation ambitions. Lisa previously held leadership roles at the University of Leeds, including Head of School of Biology, Associate Dean Research and Innovation (Faculty of Biological Sciences), Co-Director of the Global Food and Environment Institute and Academic Director of the National Pig Centre and University Farm.

Andrew Jaspan is the creator and co-founder of The Conversation. He launched the project in Australia in 2011 and was instrumental in seeing it established in the UK and the US. The project was born out of concerns Andrew had about public access to reliable information amid a dramatic shift in the production and consumption of journalism internationally. Andrew has been Editor of The Observer, The Age (Melbourne), The Scotsman and the Sunday Herald (Glasgow).