About Ben Johnson
Hi - I’m Ben Johnson, a practitioner in UK science policy. I’ve spent ~15 years in various roles in the UK government and attached scientific agencies. I spent the latter ~5 years of period as senior policy adviser to various science ministers and secretaries of state. I’m now professor of practice in research and innovation policy at the University of Strathclyde. In 2025, I helped to build the science policy work at the Centre for British Progress, a non-partisan think-tank focussed on practical ideas to drive economic growth and technological progress in the UK.
I’m using this Substack to write about science, research and innovation policy issues, with a specific interest in UK policy.