A Lancaster University scientist is visiting politicians in Westminster when she takes part in a pairing scheme run by the Royal Society.

Dr Jessica Almine from the Faculty of Health and Medicine is to shadow Dr Francesca Gauntlett at the House of Commons for a week.

Dr Francesca Gauntlett is Head of International Disease Monitoring at The Government’s Animal Plant and health Agency APHA where Dr Almine will shadow Dr Gauntlett and learn about her work.

The visit is 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.

As well as attending seminars and panel discussions about how evidence is used in policy making, Dr Almine will also attend a mock Select Committee.

The visit will provide her with a behind the scenes insight into how policy is formed and how her research can be used to make evidence based decisions. It will also give Dr Gauntlett the opportunity to investigate the science behind her decisions and improve their access to scientific evidence.

Dr Almine said: “I applied to the Royal Society’s pairing scheme to gain experience beyond the lab and to see how research can influence policy development. My research focuses on studying host-pathogen interactions at the molecular level, so it will be interesting to see how this can complements epidemiology, virology and risk modelling to inform policy decisions that prevent the spread of infectious diseases in the UK and EU.”

The Royal Society’s pairing scheme, which started in 2001, aims to build bridges between parliamentarians, civil servants and some of the best scientists in the UK.

Dr Francesca Gauntlett will get hands on experience when she dons a lab coat to visit Dr Almine at Lancaster University next year.