In London, one of the world’s most revered cities, there’s a Master of Public Administration programme that boldly and proudly transforms students into multihyphenate experts. Offered by University College London’s Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP), this is a programme that brings together several disciplines: policy, science, technology, governance and leadership.
You join as an ambitious student and leave with a wide range of skills needed to work at the interface between science, technology and policy.
For MPA student Nithya Vysnavi Vadeveloo from Malaysia, London itself is part of the curriculum. Being in a global city gives her constant exposure to policy discussions, public events, think tanks, and institutions working on some of the world’s hardest challenges in real time. Being part of UCL puts her side by side with peers from a vast range of countries and professional backgrounds. Their debates and discussions are rarely one-dimensional.
“I’ve been able to connect academic learning with real policy conversations, which has been incredibly valuable for someone interested in technology governance and public policy,” she says.
Another student, Charlotte Dujardin, can still recall a guest lecture on carbon dioxide. “We kept asking [the guest speaker] about the ethics behind certain solutions and the way they would impact people’s lives if pushed at a large scale,” she shares. “At some point, he ended up telling us that it was so interesting that we were asking all these questions, because no one ever did in his technical university.”
It was a small exchange, but a telling one. There are many more such moments in their MPA journeys. Vadeveloo and Dujardin share some of their defining milestones below.
“Through coursework, case studies, and projects, we are constantly applying academic concepts to contemporary issues, from AI governance and digital rights to sustainability and energy transitions,” says MPA student Nithya Vysnavi Vadeveloo. Source: University College London
Bridging AI, policy, and society
For much of her career, Vadeveloo led AI and machine learning projects in the multinational semiconductor industry. But with the technical work came a growing curiosity about how governments make decisions about emerging technologies and societal change, which is why she signed up for the Development, Technology and Innovation Policy MPA.
“I wanted a programme that moved beyond traditional public policy and allowed me to think critically about technology, governance, sustainability, and development together,” she says.
The programme was an opportunity for her to step outside her usual area of expertise. In the “Science Advice” course, she explored how evidence and expertise are translated into policy decisions. Modules like “Clean Energy and Development” broadened her perspective on development challenges beyond digital technologies.
Here, Vadeveloo gets to apply academic concepts to her coursework, case studies, and projects all the time. Leading experts teach her to think about what it takes to turn ideas into practice and navigate the trade-offs that come with real-world decision-making. Her capstone project – for the UK government, no less — has been particularly memorable. Working alongside her team, she helped develop an agentic AI tool for futures thinking.
With everything she’s learned, Vadeveloo has become much more confident navigating conversations between technical experts, policymakers, development practitioners, and institutions. It’s a skill she believes is “increasingly important for tackling complex development challenges.” She’s graduating in 2026 and hopes to work in AI governance, science advice, and institutional decision-making.
Dujardin saw the cohort’s diverse backgrounds as a major strength. The mix of experiences and ambitions created “an interesting emulsion,” she says. Source: University College London
Climate change, through many lenses
While pursuing the Climate, Innovation and Sustainability Policy MPA, Dujardin kept encountering the same questions: how do global climate solutions play out at the local level? How can policymakers balance what is technically possible with what is politically and socially acceptable? These questions served as the starting point for her thesis on EU collaboration in climate adaptation.
Dujardin had previously studied political theory and philosophy. She did not know the full extent of science and technology’s role in shaping climate policy. The MPA filled that gap. Exposure to direct air capture and seaweed sinking highlighted the role of technology in addressing environmental challenges.
Meanwhile, urban planning and data visualisation courses gave Dujardin skills outside of traditional academic training. “The ‘Urban Planning’ module taught me a lot about how to work with people,” she shares. “Our final and only module assignment was a group report on resilience to heat in Southall, which I completed with two trained urban planners.” She especially enjoyed Scenario Week, where students had four days to develop policy recommendations on a specific issue.
By the end of the programme, Dujardin became much clearer about her career goals. “I realised I was most interested in journalism, specifically stories about climate, technology and the intersection of innovation, politics and policy,” she says.
Dujardin graduates this summer but has already secured roles as a research assistant at STEaPP and a freelance collaborator for The Observer, both of which she found through the department and UCL’s network.
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