David Gough is Professor of Evidence Informed Policy and Practice, and Director of its EPPI-Centre, University College London. Prior to this he was senior research fellow at the University of Glasgow and professor at Japan Women’s University. His early research focused on child welfare policy including roles in the international, British and Japanese societies for the prevention of child abuse and Co-Editor of Child Abuse Review. His interest in methods of research synthesis started in 1988 by developing coding guidelines to systematically describe and assess the child abuse intervention literature. His work on research synthesis has included the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods node on systematic reviews, a ministry of education centre for evidence informed education, and a methods unit and collaborating partner for the development of NICE guidance in health and social care. He also undertakes ‘research on research use’ including the European EIPPEE network, the Science of Using Science project, the experimental evaluation of the RISE project to encourage evidence use in schools, and a comparative study of the UK what works centres. He was Co-Managing Editor of the journal Evidence and Policy from 2009 to 2017.

Professor Sharples is a Professorial Research Fellow at the Education Endowment Foundation, the UK government’s ‘What Works Centre’ for education. Jonathan works with schools and policy makers across the sector to promote evidence-informed practice, and spread knowledge of ‘what works’ in teaching and learning. He writes evidence-based guidance for schools and works with practitioners to scale-up effective practices. Jonathan previously worked at The Institute for the Future of the Mind at the University of Oxford, where he was looking at how insights from brain-science research can support teachers’ expertise and professional development. Prior to this he worked as a secondary school science teacher in Sydney.

Lígia is the Director of the Centre for Homelessness Impact. She is responsible for the leadership and management of the new organisation and also delivered the feasibility study which preceded the setting up of the new Centre. Lígia was previously Head of Research and Evaluation at Crisis, where over a period of nine years she led the organisation's evidence programme - growing its scale and impact so that it's now one of the largest and most influential in the UK and internationally. She joined the charity in March 2008 following stints at the Young Foundation and the Refugee Council. Lígia was awarded a PhD from the Government Department of the London School of Economics in 2007. She has also worked in research roles for Professor David Held, founder of Polity Press, for sociologist Professor Helmut Anheier, who founded and directed the LSE’s Centre for Civil Society, and for the International Labour Organisation where she covered issues including human trafficking, child labour and women’s rights. Lígia is a 2016 Clore Fellow, having been awarded the Specialist Fellowship on Housing and Homelessness, funded by the Oak Foundation.