Louise Shaxson is the former Director of ODI’s Digital Societies Programme, now a freelance consultant while she studies for a PhD on the use of evidence in UK policymaking. She has over 30 years’ experience as an interdisciplinary researcher, research manager, science policy adviser, management consultant and political economy analyst and has an extensive understanding of research impact, strengthening research-policy relationships, knowledge brokering.  She has undertaken short-term assignments in over 10 countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, advising government departments and international agencies on their internal processes to improve the use of evidence. She is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the journal Development Policy Review, has published extensively on evidence-informed policymaking, and between 2011 and 2018 was an Associate Editor for the academic journal Evidence & Policy.  Louise is a Trustee of INASP (Oxford, UK) and a Board member of Cenfri (Cape Town, South Africa).