i-nnovators
Dr Molly Morgan Jones
Who is she?
Molly is an analyst at RAND Europe, where she works on innovation and technology
policy evaluation and research. She specialises in the governance of innovation, particularly
biomedical technologies, research evaluation and strategy development, and evidence-based policy
making. At RAND Europe, Molly has worked across a range of areas, including
- global health research funding in the UK,
- knowledge exchange and translational research activities in the UK agricultural supply chain,
- impacts and wider 'paybacks' of mental health research,
- leadership as a science policy intervention, and
- ARV-based prevention strategies for HIV/AIDS.
Prior to joining RAND Europe, Molly spent six years in the public and academic sectors. She was a
Strategy Analyst for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in the UK and a
Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In both roles she
had a focus on evidence-based policy making, research strategy evaluation and regulatory impacts
across a range of environmental and food safety policy areas. In the academic sector, Molly was a
Research Fellow at the University of Sussex, working on a range of projects including an assessment
of the national innovation system for nanotechnology in the UK, a feasibility study of bibliometric
databases in the social sciences and humanities, and a study of agricultural innovation systems in
Kenya.
Molly received her D.Phil in Science and Technology Policy at SPRU, the Science and Technology
Policy Research Unit, at the University of Sussex. She graduated magna cum laude from
Northwestern University in the USA with a BA in Biology (with honors) and a secondary concentration
in Political Communication. She also holds an MSc (with distinction) in Science and Technology
Policy from the University of Sussex. She has a strong technical background in the life sciences and a
longstanding interest in the intersection of scientific innovation and public policymaking.
What can she offer?
Molly can contribute in several ways;
- Through analysing the wider innovation system to map out key actors and institutions in order
to determine strategic opportunities
- By working with organisations to develop plans for supporting translational research activities
which support the move from research ideas to innovation breakthroughs
- By assessing the wider impacts of research and innovation, both realised and future impacts,
to support the development of innovation strategies
- Helping you to understand the innovation policy environment in key sectors.