Three LSE academics appointed to DSIT College of Experts

The DSIT College of Experts is a network of independent specialists who provide rapid, flexible advice to support science and technology policy across the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

Professor Cosmina Dorobantu (Data Science Institute), Professor Helen Margetts OBE (Data Science Institute), and Professor Edgar Whitley (Department of Management) join 71 leading specialists chosen to give DIST rapid, independent access to UK science and technology expertise.

The College was formally launched on 18 June 2026 at the Royal Society in London, bringing together members from universities, industry and research institutes across the UK.

Professors Dorobantu, Margetts and Whitley were selected through a competitive process that attracted nearly 1,200 applications. Members volunteer up to five days a year to support government work, from short advisory conversations to workshops and peer review.

Professor Chris Johnson, DSIT Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the College of Experts, said:

“The launch of the College of Experts at the Royal Society brought together an extraordinary group of independent specialists from across the UK, spanning AI, quantum, life sciences, cyber security, and far beyond.

"The experts volunteer their time to support us, reflecting a real commitment from the UK’s research and innovation community to contribute to government policymaking. Seeing DSIT colleagues and world-leading academics and practitioners in the same room was a powerful reminder of what this department can achieve when it draws on the best available expertise.”