Vanessa Hirneis is a political psychologist and mixed-methods behavioural researcher in the Policy Institute’s Experimental Government Team. Her work focuses on supporting local and national government to design and evaluate evidence-informed, human-centred policy solutions aimed at improving outcomes for marginalised groups. She predominantly works on evaluations (RCTs) of interventions in homelessness, children’s social care, and higher education.

Vanessa is particularly interested in how scientific methods can be used to support more inclusive policy and institutional design. Her broader research interests include the psychological consequences of poverty and inequality, democratic engagement, intergroup relations, political polarisation, and social cohesion.

Before joining the Policy Institute in February 2023, Vanessa worked with the Behavioural Insights Team, Innovations for Poverty Action, and the World Bank’s Mind, Behaviour, and Development Unit on a range of public policy challenges. She also gained substantial experience in development and sustainability in Latin America and the Caribbean, including work on land rights and disaster risk reduction in informal settlements.

Alongside her role at the Policy Institute, Vanessa is pursuing a PhD in Applied Public Policy at the King’s College London School for Government. Her doctoral research investigates the drivers of democratic engagement and participation among minoritised and marginalised groups. She holds an MSc in the Psychology of Economic Life from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a BSc in Psychology from Düsseldorf University. Vanessa was selected as a 2023 Atlantik-Brücke Young Leader and has been a fellow of the German National Foundation and the Mercator Foundation on International Affairs.