School of Social and Political Science

Background

Full CV, on Edinburgh University website:  Joyce Tait CV 2026 (PDF, 233 KB)

Research Interests

I have an interdisciplinary background covering both natural and social sciences and have worked on innovation-governance-stakeholder interactions in transformative innovation-related areas, including cell therapies and regenerative medicine, synthetic biology and gene editing, pesticides and GM technologies, drug development, stratified and translational medicine, biofuels and, most recently, quantum technologies and in silico models. 

I was the founding Director of the Innogen Centre, now the Innogen Institute, and have particularly focused on innovation and policy-related applications of my research.
 

Selected Recent Appointments

2024 – 2025               UK Government Engineering Biology Responsible Innovation Advisory Panel (RIAP)

2023 – 2024               OECD Global Forum on Technology, Synthetic Biology Expert Focus Group.

2023 – 2024               UK Government Biosecurity Leadership Council.

2020 – ongoing         Regulatory Horizons Council (UK Government, DSIT)

2020 – 2021               UK Government (BEIS) Bioeconomy Strategy Working Group - Business Environment 

2017 - 2020                UK Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology.
 

Selected Research and Consultancy Grants

REACT-FIRST (Reduced Emission Aquaculture and Chicken Trial for Integrated, Responsible and Sustainable Transformation of CO2 into Animal Feed in collaboration with Deep Branch Biotechnology Ltd. 

Development of a Publicly Available Standard (PAS) for Responsible Innovation (consultancy contract with British Standards Institution).

Diagnostic Innovation and Livestock (DIAL) with Ann Bruce and Katy Adam, led by the University of Exeter. 

Proportionate and Adaptive Governance of Innovative Technologies (PAGIT, consultancy contract with the British Standards Institution.

Responsible Research and Innovation in the Engineering of Mammalian Systems, Synthetic Biology Research Centre programme (SynthSys Mammalian), PI Prof. Susan Rosser, CHSS.

Core grants for the ESRC Innogen Centre, with David Wield and Robin Williams, 2002-2014
 

Selected Publications

RHC (2025) (J Tait, lead author) Regulatory Horizons Council Report, The Governance of Engineering Biology. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-horizons-council-the-governance-of-engineering-biology)

Monica Hoyos Flight, Joyce Tait, et al. (2024). Analysing Responsible Innovation along a value chain – a single-cell protein case study. Engineering Biology. ID: ENB2_12031; https://DOI.org/10.1049/enb2.12031   

Tait, J. (2024) The PAGIT Framework: its role in the governance of UK technologies to drive greater innovation. British Standards Institution White Paper. (https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/insights-and-media/insights/whitepapers/update-to-pagit-framework-for-innovation/) 

RHC (2024) (J. Tait, co-author) Regulatory Horizons Council Report, Regulating Quantum Technology Applications (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65ddc83bcf7eb10015f57f9f/RHC_regulation_of_quantum_technology_applications.pdf)

Tait, J., Raybould, A., Flight, M.H. and McGoohan, A. (2023). Circular and Networked Bioeconomies for Net-Zero Food Production: There is Nothing Magic about Circles. Circ.Econ.Sust. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-022-00247-w

RHC (2022) (J Tait, lead author) Regulatory Horizons Council Report on Genetic Technologies.   https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-horizons-council-report-on-genetic-technologies

Tait, J., et al. (2021) Responsible Innovation: Its role in an era of technological and regulatory transformation. Engineering Biology, 5, 2-9.  DOI: 10.1049/enb2.12005  

Tait, J. (Technical Author) (2020) PAS 440:2020 Responsible Innovation – Guide. BSI and Innovate UK. https://pages.bsigroup.com/l/35972/2020-03-17/2cgcnc1?utm_source=pardot&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SM-STAN-LAU-PAS-PAS440-2003

Tait, J and Wield, D. (2019) Policy Support for Disruptive Innovation in the Life Sciences. Technology Analysis and Strategic Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2019.1631449

Lyall, C. and Tait, J. (2019) Beyond the Limits to Governance: new rules of engagement for the tentative governance of the life sciences. Research Policy, 48(5),1128-1137. doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2019.01.009

Lyall, C., Bruce, A., Tait, J. and Meagher L. (2011) Interdisciplinary Research Journeys: Practical strategies for capturing creativity. London: Bloomsbury Press.
http://www.bloomsburyacademic.com/view/Interdisciplinary-Research-Journeys/book-ba-9781849661782.xml (Paperback edition produced in 2015)

Lyall, C. and Tait, J. (2005) New Modes of Governance: Developing an integrated policy approach to science, technology, risk and the environment. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Ltd. (e-Book published 2017) https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315248042