Muiris is Professor of Politics and Public Policy and founding Director of the Centre. He is also Head of Politics and International Relations at QUB. His research covers a variety of themes in academic public policy and administration, with current work examining how administrative systems evolve and adapt to meet changing political and policy demands, and the effects of AI and machine learning on knowledge synthesis and decision-making in government. He is a member of the leadership teams of the ESRC-funded International Public Policy Observatory and of the European Group for Public Administration, as well as Visiting Professor at the Geary Institute for Public Policy at University College Dublin. In 2023 he was awarded Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences for his outstanding scholarship and leadership in public administration.

Viviane joined Queen’s in 2016. She is a Senior Lecturer in European Politics, whose main focus is the relationship between policy change and shocks to policy-making systems. This is reflected in her two main areas of research. First, environmental policy dismantling in the European Union – and its links to further European (dis)integration. Second, after investigating how the EU has shaped UK environmental & agricultural policy and governance (and vice-versa), her current work focuses on the potential policy and governance changes linked to the repatriation of EU law in the UK and the devolved regions after Brexit, notably in Northern Ireland. As a co-chair of Brexit & Environment, a network of academics investigating the impact of Brexit on the environment, Viviane works with civil society organisations, governments and legislatures on post-Brexit policy. As a member of the ESRC Centre for Inclusive Trade Policy, she investigates the UK’s first steps in setting an independent trade policy and whose voices are heard in that process. Alongside her policy research she researches innovative pedagogies for teaching politics and policy.

Dr Jack Taggart joined QUB in 2021 as a Lecturer in International Political Economy. His research examines the dynamics and politics of global governance and international development, bridging discussions in International Relations, International Political Economy, Human Geography, and Development Studies. His work focuses on the emergence of new institutional forms in global governance—such as ‘multistakeholder’ partnerships and initiatives led by China and other ascending powers—and their effects on traditional cooperation mechanisms. Dr Taggart explores the increasing influence of corporate entities, discourses, and power within the global sustainable governance regime, highlighting the impact of state-capitalist models on conventional capitalist structures, especially in the realm of international development. A consistent theme throughout his research is the transformation of global governance and development by new actors and power structures. Dr Taggart actively contributes to Global Policy North, a network of scholars from UK universities focusing on global policy challenges, where he plays a pivotal role. He also organises workshops and offers numerous engagement opportunities for academics interested in these critical issues.