Professor with extensive experience in policy expertise, evidence and public sector capability
2026 Academic Fellow, February – July
Professor Brian Head is a leading authority on public policy and governance, with extensive experience working across government, universities and the non-government sector. He is currently the President of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the UNESCO social sciences program and is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.
His work focuses on evidence-informed policy, policy expertise and complex or ‘wicked’ problems, with a long-standing commitment to bridging research, policy and practice. Professor Head has advised state and federal governments, contributed to major policy reviews, and delivered keynote addresses at national and international forums, including those organised by the OECD.
Fellowship focus
Expertise for long-term policy to meet future challenges
Professor Head’s Fellowship focuses on how policy capability is built, sustained and sometimes eroded within government. Drawing on his extensive work with public sector and policy systems. Taking a long-term view, he examines how expertise in government is built, used and eroded — and asks us to reimagine what skills, knowledge and practices policymakers now truly need for sustainable policy design in the context of complexity, uncertainty and politicisation.
Areas of expertise
Public policy and governance, including integrity, accountability and social inclusion
Policy advice and evidence-informed decision-making in government
The role of expertise, judgement and leadership in complex and uncertain policy environments
Publications & Awards
Brian has published more than a dozen books and 150 articles on the relationships between the research and policymaking sectors and the need for high-quality policy decision-making processes. His specialist areas are ‘evidence-based’ policy, wicked and contested problems, socio-economic inequalities, environmental policies, research impacts, and methods to improve research and policy responses to complex problems. His recent book Wicked Problems in Public Policy (Palgrave 2022) attracted international acclaim, and is available open access at: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-94580-0
Connect
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