Luke McNally will be developing an approach to summarise the evidence behind which policies are successful, by using artificial intelligence (AI) and complex systems modelling. Ultimately, this research aims to bridge the gap between scientific evidence and policymaking, leading to more informed and effective public policies.

Luke is based at the University of Edinburgh, where he has been working on a wide range of projects, from antimicrobial resistance to AI chatbots. He has used in silico evolution of AIs to study the factors that drove human brain evolution, machine learning to map how the challenge of antimicrobial resistance will change as our populations age, and developed methods to model the dynamics of our gut microbiomes. Recently, he has focused on using large language models (LLMs) and machine learning to predict the impact of funded science programmes and the likelihood of success of clinical trials.

What are you working on at the moment at Nesta?

Luke says: “I’m helping to develop an approach to improve evidence synthesis in policymaking. This will help to improve the evidence available to policymakers about interventions, and will also allow us to make better predictions about which policies will have the most impact.”

“Policymakers can struggle to access evidence about policy interventions and how well they work, but it’s important that this information is made accessible to them in a quick and engaging way.”

“I hope to develop an automated system that leverages advanced analytical techniques such as natural language processing and LLMs to identify, analyse and incorporate policy evaluations and intervention studies into a comprehensive evidence base. Focusing on Nesta’s mission for a fairer start, we also aim to simulate the impact of interventions considering the intricate web of factors that influence early-years outcomes.”

What excites you the most about your residency project?

Luke says: “I am passionate about using science to benefit society. This project with Nesta offers a great opportunity to work on a project with a clear pathway to real-world impact and a wealth of expertise in policy and data science that I can learn from. Nesta’s fairer start mission particularly resonates with me, having myself benefited from educational interventions in my early years. Getting to apply cutting-edge computational techniques to an important area that resonates with me personally is a true privilege.”