Professor Arlene Holmes-Henderson MBE

2026 Academic Fellow, August – October

Professor Arlene Holmes-Henderson MBE is a leading scholar working at the intersection of education, public policy and the arts and humanities. Her work focuses on how research from outside STEM disciplines can inform policymaking, strengthen public value and support more effective decision-making.

She has extensive experience engaging with governments, parliaments and public institutions, and plays a senior leadership role in the Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN), supporting stronger connections between academic research and policy practice.

Fellowship focus

Improving Future Policymaking by Learning Lessons from the Past

Professor Holmes-Henderson’s Fellowship focuses on how insights from history, education and the arts and humanities can inform contemporary policymaking. The work explores how public institutions draw on evidence beyond technical and scientific domains to support better policy design and decision-making.
The Fellowship supports more inclusive and reflective approaches to policy development, with a focus on strengthening how research evidence is communicated, understood and used within government.

Areas of expertise

• Arts and humanities research in policymaking, including evidence use beyond STEM

• Education policy and curriculum reform, across schools and higher education

• Policy engagement and research–government collaboration

• Democratic and civic education, including access and participation

• Innovative pedagogies and knowledge exchange in public policy contexts

Connect

To connect or enquire about engaging with this Fellow, please get in touch with us.