James Wilsdon

James Wilsdon leads the science and innovation programme at Demos. He is also a Senior Research Fellow in the Institute for Advanced Studies at Lancaster University.

According to a biog note on the Demos site:

His work focuses on on science and innovation policy, globalisation, sustainability and democracy. Since 2005, he has been Director of The Atlas of Ideas project, which is mapping changes in the geography of science and innovation. The first phase of The Atlas of Ideas was described by the Financial Times in January 2007 as 'the most comprehensive assessment so far of emerging innovation in China, India and Korea'. A second phase is now getting underway, and will include studies of Brazil, South Africa and the Islamic world, as well as further work on China and India.

James regularly advises governments, companies and NGOs, and has undertaken projects for organisations such as the European Commission, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Sitra, the European Space Agency, Vodafone, Greenpeace, O2 and Unilever. Before taking up his current role in 2004, James spent three years as Head of Strategy at Demos. From 1997 to 2001, he was Senior Policy Adviser at Forum for the Future.

He is an experienced public speaker and has lectured or presented in over twenty countries. He has also written for publications such as the Financial Times, Guardian, OpenDemocracy, THES, Renewal, Business 2.0 and Green Futures. He has a first-class degree in philosophy and theology from Oxford University and a PhD in sustainable technologies from Middlesex University. Aged 33, he lives in Cumbria with his wife and two sons, and divides his time between London and the Lake District.