From PhD to Parliament: Leicester researcher’s work cited in Lords debate
Merissa Hickman
A PhD student at the University of Leicester has had her work cited in a Parliamentary debate on the effect of AI and screen use on children.
Merissa Elizabeth Hickman is an early career researcher conducting interdisciplinary research spanning genomics, medical sociology, and public policy.
The 25-year-old recently finished a Nuffield Foundation POST Fellowship in Parliament as part of her PhD in Genomic Epidemiology and Public Health Genomics, which is funded by the Wellcome Trust Doctoral Training Programme.
The 13-week placement allowed her to work directly with the UK Parliament’s Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), providing research-based briefing material on emerging science and social science topics for parliamentarians.
The reports or POSTnotes as they are known are intended to provide neutral, non-partisan, and peer-reviewed information to help parliamentarians scrutinize legislation and debate.
Merissa’s report on the impact of screen and AI use on children and young people was cited by Lord Patel in his motion to the House of Lords last week (Oct 22), asking them to take note of its findings.
Lord Patel’s motion drew extensively from the POSTnote. The report outlines that the impacts of screen use and AI are context-dependent, with outcomes shaped by who is using them, how and why. Lord Patel noted the benefits and harms of screen use and critically examined the increasing use of AI among children and young people.
He also personally thanked those behind the report stating: “I thank the Library for its excellent briefing paper and POST, the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, which has produced several well-researched, evidence-based publications with expert contributions on the subject.
“Much of my speech is based on its excellent findings and I thank all who contributed to its work.”
Merissa said: “It is incredibly exciting to see my work being used directly in parliamentary debate and contributing to important discussions about the evidence, potential harms and benefits of digital technologies in children's lives.
“A huge thank you to everyone involved in producing the POSTnote, including my co-author, the experts and stakeholders who contributed their knowledge, and the entire POST team.”
Merissa’s supervisor, Professor Nici Mackintosh said: “The POST fellowship has provided Merissa with a fantastic opportunity to develop her academic skills, particularly in terms of understanding the importance of taking a nuanced approach to assessing research to support policy making. It is wonderful to see her research skills contributing to real-life political debate which could make a tangible difference.”