Dr Dan Honig, Associate Professor of Public Policy at UCL and Georgetown University, explores with Dr Michael Spence how organisational systems can empower or frustrate people trying to do good work. Even mission driven organisations can fall into a regulations trap.

It can feel like we're drowning in regulations, yet we keep creating more. The same people complaining about red tape often suggest adding new policies when problems arise. Could it be that the solution isn't eliminating rules and bureaucracy – it's recognising their hidden costs: eroded trust, wasted time, and reduced autonomy?

And how much underperformance should organisations tolerate to preserve creativity? Dan's research shows that when you give people more autonomy, the middle group – neither stars nor slackers – often improves because they feel trusted and empowered. Dan shares inspiring examples: Pakistan's first female revenue collector proving employees’ capabilities, South Sudan's census director who believed "even God used statistics," and civil servants in Liberia finding purpose in their work. He says most people want to contribute meaningfully, not just collect their salary. The question is whether management systems unlock or suppress that motivation.

And context and culture are everything. What works in one country won’t transplant directly to another. However, Dan finds that almost everywhere, organisations have too much compliance relative to their optimal level, and so most should move toward greater autonomy.

The key is making sure employees, especially in an organisation like a university, understand the discretion and autonomy they already have. We should celebrate those using it well, then have broader conversations about which rules need changing. As one bureaucrat told Dan: "What I want is a place where my existence matters." That's the key to thriving organisations.

Credits:

Presenter: Dr Michael Spence, UCL President & Provost

Guest: Dr Dan Honig, Associate Professor of Public Policy at UCL and Georgetown University

Produced by UCL Communications and UCL Educational Media

UCL President and Provost Michael Spence meets Professor Sir John Hardy, whose groundbreaking genetics research at UCL has revolutionised treatment for Alzheimer's. John always dreamed of working at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, the world's leading neurological research centre. But he was rejected for his current position in 1992 and had to wait 15 years before finally getting the job in 2007.

Working with Alzheimer's families, he discovered mutations in the gene for the amyloid protein, and in an influential paper proposed that the build-up of the amyloid protein in the brain is where Alzheimer's begins – a theory that's now the basis for new treatments.

Remarkably, 30 years later, we still don't know what amyloid does in healthy brains. We just know that when it deposits in the hippocampus, it kills neurons and destroys the ability to form new memories.

Two new drugs based directly on John’s research – lecanemab and donanemab – are ‘monoclonal antibodies’ that work by clearing amyloid build-ups in the brain, slowing disease progression. The next frontier? Anti-tau therapies, already under development at Queen Square. Like diabetes, Alzheimer's will likely require multiple treatments.

John's had four major "hits" when it comes to finding key genes involved in the development of neurological conditions: amyloid, tau, alpha-synuclein (Parkinson's), and TREM2. "There's nothing like the thrill of finding a gene," he says. When asked about retirement? "No, I want one more gene!"

Credits:

Presenter: Dr Michael Spence, UCL President & Provost

Guest: Professor Sir John Hardy, from the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology

Produced by UCL Communications and UCL Educational Media

In this episode, UCL President and Provost Michael Spence speaks with Achala Moulik, a remarkable alumna who chose the university in 1959, about her extraordinary journey from being an economics student to Secretary of Elementary Education and Literacy for India.

Achala was one of only four women in a class of 35 studying economics at what was then called simply University College. Her entrance interview made a mark when, as an opinionated 17-year-old, she told professors that India was poor because of "imperialism and colonialism”, before hastily adding that the Britain had also brought legal system and taken India into “the mainstream”. After mentioning Moscow State University as a backup option if she gained a scholarship there, her interviewer said, "Dear me, we must save her from that fate." She describes her experience of UCL as outwardly "sedate and demure" but with enormous respect for diversity underneath – a place where she “never felt alien”, despite coming from a different culture.

After graduating, Achala returned to her family’s home in India and had a distinguished civil service career. Initially struggling with reverse culture shock, she found her calling as Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India. Travelling from Kashmir to the southern tip, working on projects including Angkor Wat's restoration, she says she finally discovered the country’s vast diversity: "I began to identify with this vast land."

Achala is an accomplished cultural historian, novelist and playwright. Her play about Alexander Pushkin earned her Russia's prestigious Pushkin Medal, presented by then Prime Minister Putin. Her new book Phantom Lovers comprises two novellas. The first is about characters during the British Raj. The second is set against University College (as UCL used to be called) and LSE, exploring the encounter between India and England – a fitting tribute to the place that "shaped me, truly."

Credits:

Presenter: Dr Michael Spence, UCL President & Provost

Guest: Achala Moulik, cultural historian, novelist, playwright and former civil servant.

Produced by UCL Communications and UCL Educational Media

UCL President and Provost Michael Spence speaks to Goksu Danaci, who was President of UCL’s Students' Union during the academic year 2024/2025, about student leadership, democracy, and community.

Goksu oversaw a huge operation – from student representation and campus services to clubs, societies, and welfare support. Working alongside her sabbatical team, she had to get used to what leadership in action can mean, with some people agreeing with her and others disagreeing. She had to balance being both a student advocate and a UCL trustee, as a crucial link between the Union and the university. UCL has held the UK's biggest student elections for three years running, with over 20,000 students voting.

Goksu came to the UK from Turkey for boarding school, before choosing UCL. The moment she saw the Portico on the iconic Wilkins Building in the UCL Quad in Bloomsbury, she knew she belonged. As a former president of the Turkish Student Society, she built community whilst sharing her culture, meeting friends she says she’d never have encountered back home.

UCL successfully brings together students from 160 countries with vastly different perspectives, but how does that happen? Goksu's answer from her perspective as their Union representative: "just being nice." But there's more – the Uni's intercultural programmes, Impartial Chair training, and its "Disagreeing Well" initiatives help create space for diverse voices to coexist.

As UCL approaches its 200th anniversary, Goksu hopes the university will preserve its founding principle of pluralism – that special ability to bring people together across radical differences whilst maintaining a strong community ethos.

Credits:

Presenter: Dr Michael Spence, UCL President & Provost

Guest: Goksu Danaci, former President of Students' Union UCL during the academic year 2024/2025.

Produced by UCL Communications and UCL Educational Media

In this episode of Faces of UCL, UCL President and Provost Dr Michael Spence chats with Dr Michael Sulu, UCL Associate Professor in Biochemical Engineering and UCL's Envoy for Race Equality.

Michael did his first degree at UCL and came back following a Master’s at York University and a PhD and post-doc at the University of Birmingham, after discovering a love for teaching during his PhD in using bacteria to produce hydrogen as a fuel. He combines biochemical engineering with brewing: UCL is building a new brewery and micro-distillery on its UCL East campus to support both teaching and community engagement.

Mike’s work as UCL’s Race Equality Envoy centres on listening and understanding diverse experiences. He's learned that even well-intentioned solutions don't always match the actual problems communities face. One key insight he’s observed: international students often want more opportunities to mix, but the institution isn't always creating the spaces and conditions for them to do that.

He notices how stereotypes affect confidence – women underselling their abilities, and Black British students internalising the belief they must "work twice as hard," which stops them asking for help. His message is: "You can ask for help, and it's okay to ask for help."

One of Mike's proudest achievements is a year-long programme supporting students from lower social classes and minoritised backgrounds into research careers. He gives them the skills to apply to do research and to make informed choices, rather than just “funnel them into doing PhDs”.

What keeps him at UCL? The people and the multidisciplinary environment where biochemical engineers can learn from social scientists and artists alike.

Credits

Presenter: Dr Michael Spence, UCL President & Provost

Guest: Dr Michael Sulu, UCL Associate Professor in Biochemical Engineering and UCL's Envoy for Race Equality.

Produced by UCL Communications and UCL Educational Media

UCL President and Provost Michael Spence meets Catriona Wilson, Head of the Petrie Collection of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology and Dr Anna Garnett, the Curator of the Petrie Collection. The museum’s extraordinary collection has more than 80,000 objects.

Unlike other museums focused on grand monuments, the Petrie celebrates everyday life through "ordinary objects that tell extraordinary stories": 5,000-year-old knitted socks, loaves of bread, love letters, and the world's oldest complete woven garment, The Tarkhan Dress.

The conversation addresses Flinders Petrie's complex legacy – he transformed archaeology into a science but was also involved in UCL's eugenics movement. The museum tackles this head-on, asking visitors from the moment they enter: "Should this collection be here?". The team maintains vibrant connections with Egyptian and Sudanese communities. The Sudan's Living Cultures project has partnered with Sudanese artists to create hopeful digital artworks during Sudan's current crisis. At the launch event, a Sudanese visitor shared how smelling familiar perfume immediately made her feel at home in the museum – a powerful moment of connection.

With 20,000 annual visitors, 300 visiting researchers, and pioneering online digitisation leading to 50,000+ hits yearly (many from Egypt), the collection serves as both a world-class research resource and a bridge between cultures.

As Catriona and Anna acknowledge, as "two white British women managing formerly colonially removed objects," they're committed to constantly trying, sometimes failing, and trying again to address power imbalances while making these collections meaningful to diverse audiences.

Credits:

Presenter: Dr Michael Spence, UCL President & Provost

Guests: Catriona Wilson, Head of the Petrie Collection of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology and Dr Anna Garnett, the Curator of the Petrie Collection of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology.

Produced by UCL Communications and UCL Educational Media