Professor Michael Sanders is the Director of Exogeneity, and leads all of our work. He is an expert in evidence based policy-making, experimental and quasi-experimental study design, behavioural science, and improving outcomes for young people.

Michael founded Exogeneity in 2022 to help support the What Works Network and anyone else interested in creating evidence for policy goals.

He was previously the founding Chief Executive of What Works for Children’s Social Care & its sister organisation the Evidence Quarter, and the first Chief Scientist of the Behavioural Insights Team. He has worked with most of the What Works Centres, and has conducted experimental research in more than a dozen countries.

He is a Professor of Public Policy at King’s College London. In his free time he enjoys middle-distance walking and obsessive listening to podcasts.

Vanessa Hirneis is Exogeneity’s Deputy Director and helps to deliver some of our most promising interventions at scale. She is a social psychologist experienced in the design, management and evaluation of randomised controlled trials and feels passionate about applied research with the power to improve outcomes for marginalised people.

Vanessa has gained valuable experience in applying behavioural science to pressing social issues in her role as a researcher in the Experimental Government Team, situated within the King’s College London Policy Institute. She has previously also worked at the World Bank’s Mind, Behaviour and Development Unit, Innovation for Poverty Action, and the Behavioural Insights Team. Vanessa holds an M.Sc. in Psychology of Economic Life from the London School of Economics and is an avid lover of the arts, culture, and (off-road) travel.

Shibeal O’Flaherty is a Research Associate at Exogeneity, where she works on our (Super)^2Vision Project. She is also a PhD Candidate in Public Policy at King's College London, and a Research Associate at What Works for Children's Social Care.

Her research focuses on behavioural science applications to workplace well-being. She is interested in exploring ways to motivate and retain public-sector employees using behavioural interventions, and testing the effectiveness of these interventions using randomised controlled trials with field partners.

She worked as Program Manager at the Harvard Behavioral Insights Group from 2016 - 2018. She received her MRes Management at University College London in 2019, and MA Psychology (1st Class Hons) at the University of Aberdeen in 2015.

Aria is a Research Assistant at Exogeneity. She has been a student at King’s College London studying a variety of subjects, achieving a first degree in the Biology and Chemistry International Foundation Year in 2020, graduating from the Global Health and Social Medicine degree following the Pharmacology Pathway for her Bachelor of Science in 2023, and is currently enrolled in the Public Policy and Management Master of Science.

Her work as a research assistant included being part of the Experimental Government Team at The Policy Institute for projects discussing homelessness interventions, social issues, and desirability bias. She is now a Research Assistant for The Nightline Association following an A/B testing marketing intervention and is working with us on the data collection, task management, and material categorization for our projects. Aria has experience in handling qualitative/quantitative primary and secondary data from her previous work positions and her academic background.

In her free time, despite her scientific background, she enjoys the fine arts, mainly in the form of art galleries, musicals, opera, ballet, and concerts.

Hafiza Alim is a research assistant at Exogeneity and an MSc Economics and Policy student at King's College London. With a bachelor's degree in Economics with Econometrics, she has a strong interest in economics and data analysis. Previously, she served as a Research Assistant at The Policy Institute's Experimental Government Team. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys knitting and baking.

Emma Stockdale is a Research Associate at Exogeneity. She is an experienced research trials manager, having worked on numerous randomised controlled and quasi experimental studies in her roles at Nest Insight and as a PhD candidate at King’s College London.

Emma has undertaken consulting projects for What Works for Children’s Social Care, the centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes, and the Neighbourly Lab.

When not working, Emma enjoys watching films (and then rapidly forgetting about them – you don’t want her on your team for film trivia) and puzzling.

Jill Poots is a Research Associate at Exogeneity. Alongside her work at Exogeneity, Jill is completing a PhD in Psychology Applied to Safety and Health at Leeds Beckett University, which aims to evaluate and improve patient safety outcomes in telemedicine. Jill holds a MA (Hons) Psychology from the University of Aberdeen and PGCE from the University of Northumbria. Her previous work and research experience spans a number of industries including Education, Oil and Gas, Clinical Psychology and Agriculture.

Imogen has a first-class degree in psychology from the University of Lancaster and is due to commence her MSc in Psychiatric Research at King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience in 2024. Alongside her work at Person Clinical Assessment and Nightline Association, Imogen is responsible for the collection of data for our projects. Imogen therefore has experience of managing vast data sets and implementing screening tests for neurodevelopmental conditions such as dyslexia.

Chris Krekel is an Assistant Professor in Behavioural Science in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science, London School of Economics.

Chris is an applied economist: his research fields are behavioural economics and wellbeing, policy and programme evaluation, and applied panel and spatial analysis. He obtained his PhD in Economics from the Paris School of Economics.

Chris's research looks at how our environment affects our lives – specifically our behaviour, health, and (ultimately) our wellbeing. He is also interested in using nudges to increase pro-environmental behaviour. His work is aimed at improving evidence-based policy on how to improve these outcomes in a cost-effective manner.