Prof Aris Katzourakis
Members of the Independent Sage committee
Read our Code of Conduct that all members have signed up to. You can view a list of academic publications about COVID-19 by Independent SAGE here.
CHAIR
Prof Steve Griffin (Jan 2022 – )
Professor of Virology, University of Leeds
ACTING CHAIR
Professor Martin McKee (May 2020 – ; Acting Chair Jan 2022 – March 2022 )
Professor of European Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
DEPUTY CHAIR
Professor Susan Michie (May 2020 – )
Professor of Health Psychology and Director of the Centre for Behaviour Change at University College London, participant in SPI(B), SAGE sub-committee
MEMBERS
Professor Anthony Costello (May 2020 – )
Professor of Global Health and Sustainable Development, University College London; former Director at WHO
Dr Zubaida Haque FRSA (May 2020 – )
Former Executive Director, The Equality Trust. Dr Haque is also a Commissioner on the Hamilton Commission.
Professor Aris Katzourakis (Jan 2022 – )
Professor of Evolution and Genomics, University of Oxford
Professor Christina Pagel (May 2020 – )
Professor of Operational Research (branch of applied mathematics), Director of the Clinical Operational Research Unit & co-Director of the UCL CHIMERA hub, University College London
Professor Stephen Reicher (June 2020 – )
Professor of Social Psychology at the University of St Andrews, participant in SPI(B), SAGE sub-committee
Dr Helen Salisbury (August 2021 – )
General Practitioner (GP) and Senior Medical Education Fellow at the Department of Primary Care, Oxford University
Professor Gabriel Scally (May 2020 – ) (On sabbatical Dec 2022 – Dec 2023)
Visiting Professor of Public Health at the University of Bristol, Former President of Epidemiology & Public Health section, Royal Society of Medicine (2019-2021)
Dr Kit Yates (October 2020 – ) (On sabbatical Sept 2021 – March 2022)
Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mathematical Sciences and co-director of the Centre for Mathematical Biology at the University of Bath
Professor Sheena Cruickshank (April 2022 – )
Immunologist and Professor in Biomedical Sciences and Public Engagement at the University of Manchester
Professor Trish Greenhalgh (April 2022 – )
Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences and Fellow of Green Templeton College at the University of Oxford
Dr Binita Kane (April 2022 – )
Consultant Respiratory Physician, Honorary Senior Lecturer at University of Manchester School of Biomedical Sciences, Respiratory Programme Lead at Health Innovation Manchester
Dr Duncan Robertson (April 2022 – )
Policy & Strategy Analytics academic at Loughborough University and Fellow of St Catherine’s College, Oxford
Dr Lennard Lee (Jan 2023 – )
Associate Professor and Medical Oncology Consultant, University of Oxford
FORMER MEMBERS
Professor Deenan Pillay Professor of Virology, UCL Pro-Vice-Provost International, University College London, former SAGE member (May 2020 – Dec 2021; Apr 2022 – October 2022) (On sabbatical Jan 2022 – March 2022 )
Dr Deepti Gurdasani Clinical epidemiologist and Senior lecturer in Machine Learning at Queen Mary University of London (April 2022 – May 2022)
Sir David Anthony King Former Government CSA; founder and Chair, Centre for Climate Repair at Cambridge; Senior Strategy Adviser to the President of Rwanda; Chair of Independent SAGE (May 2020 – August 2021) – Founding Chair of Independent SAGE
Professor Kamlesh Khunti Professor of Primary Care & Diabetes, University of Leicester (May 2020 – May 2021)
Dr Alison Pittard Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Dean Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine (May 2020)
Professor Allyson Pollock Director of the Newcastle University Centre for Excellence in Regulatory Science (May-September 2020)
Professor Karl Friston Professor of Imaging Neuroscience/Wellcome Principal Research Fellow, University College London (May 2020 – May 2022)
Dr Tolullah Oni Public Health Physician Scientist and urban epidemiologist, and a Clinical Senior Research fellow with the University of Cambridge’s Global Public Health Research programme (June 2020 – Feb 2022)
Professor Danny Altmann Professor of Immunology, Imperial College London (Dec 2021 – Oct 2023)
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In addition, there is also:
The Independent SAGE Behavioural Advisory Group
A new Behavioural Advisory Group has been formed to contribute to the discussions, advice and papers of Independent Sage.
The formation of the group recognises the central role of the behavioural and social sciences in the response to Covid-19. Every measure to counter the spread of infection is dependent upon the understanding, engagement and adherence to guidance of the public, whether that be self-isolating, social distancing, practising self-protective behaviours such as hand cleansing, getting tested or (eventually) getting vaccinated.
In order to gain the adherence of the public to pandemic control measures, it is critical that the authorities are trusted. For this to happen, both central and local authorities must involve all sections of the public as partners in all stages of the development, delivery and assessment of policies.
Equally, it is crucial to consider the impact of every policy and practice on practices on all sections of the public, especially those who are most vulnerable, with a view to reducing inequalities. Diversity is central to the thinking, procedures and membership of our new group.
Our focus, however, is not limited to the behaviour of the public. We will also address that of policy-makers, planners, and health and social care workers. They are all part of a complex system of people and organisations needed to address the problem. Getting the right policies involves understanding the capability, opportunity and motivations of people in all parts of society.
The Independent SAGE Behavioural Advisory Group includes leading authorities in anthropology, behavioural sciences, criminology, health studies and psychology. Some of the members also participate in UK-wide and Scottish government advisory groups. Its role is complementary, not an alternative, to these other roles. It will support Independent SAGE in looking in depth at key policy issues, including ones not currently on the government’s agenda.
The Behavioural Advisory Group aims to help in the development of constructive proposals and policies that will help the UK Government lead the country out of the worst public health crisis of our lifetime.
Appendix 1: Members of the Behavioural Advisory Group
- Laura Bear is Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics. Her current research focusses on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on vulnerable communities. She is a participant in SPI-B (SAGE).
- John Drury is Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Sussex specialising in research on collective behaviour including behaviour in emergencies. He is a participant in SPI-B (SAGE).
- Susan Michie is Professor of Health Psychology and Director of the Centre for Behaviour Change, University College London. Her research focuses on behaviour change in relation to health and the environment. She is a participant in SPI-B (SAGE).
- Ann Phoenix is Professor of Psychosocial Studies at the Thomas Coram Research Unit, UCL Institute of Education. Her research focusses on racialised and gendered identities, family lives and home, migration and transnational families.
- Stephen Reicher is Professor of Psychology at the University of St. Andrews. His work addresses group processes, leadership, influence and collective action. He is a participant in SPI-B (SAGE) and in the Advisory Group to the Scottish Chief Medical Officer on Covid-19.
- Elizabeth Stokoe is Professor in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at The London School of Economics and Political Science. She is an expert in conversation analysis. She participates in the Policing and Security subgroup of SPI-B (SAGE).
- Robert West is Emeritus Professor of Health Psychology at University College London. He specialises in addiction and behaviour change. He is a participant in SPI-B (SAGE).
Former members
Imran Awan is Professor of Criminology and an expert on tackling victimisation against BAME communities and the effects of violent crime in society.
Linda Bauld is Professor of Public Health at the University of Edinburgh. She specialises in public health policy and the evaluation of behavioural interventions. She serves as adviser to the Covid-19 Committee of the Scottish Parliament.
Val Curtis was Professor of Hygiene and Director of the Environmental Health Group at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She was an evolutionary anthropologist specialising in hygiene behaviour globally. She was a participant in SPI-B.
Volunteers
Bob Hawkins has been helping produce charts and source data for the weekly presentations since November 2020. His help each week is invaluable.