Alexandra Burns
www.nesta.org.uk/team/alexandra-burns/
www.nesta.org.uk/team/alexandra-burns/
Director of UK 2040 Options and Interim Director of Discovery
Alex is Director of UK 2040 Options and interim Director of Discovery, leading both teams delivering the UK 2040 Options project and Nesta’s Discovery Hub in the strategy department.
The Discovery Hub uses intelligence about the future and new technologies to change practice in the here and now. The team brings together foresight with data science, qualitative research and innovation methods to test new approaches and share what they’ve learned so others can benefit.
The UK 2040 Options policy project addresses the defining issues facing the country. It brings together experts to assess the policy landscape, explore some of the most fertile areas in more depth, test and interrogate ideas and bring fresh angles and insights policymakers will need to confront.
Alex joined Nesta in February 2023 after a decade in government as a civil servant. Her focus has been on domestic policy issues across a range of roles including as education policy lead in the 10 Downing Street policy unit, private secretary to the prime minister during the COVID-19 pandemic and heading up the ministers’ offices in the Department of Digital, Media, Culture and Sport. She started her time in government as a social research analyst after studying experimental psychology. Her love of innovative policy began when she worked on introducing standardised packaging for cigarettes in 2015.
Outside of work, Alex is a long-suffering Nottingham Forest fan, a cat person and a somewhat reluctant runner.
