Elspeth Kirkman

Elspeth Kirkman runs the Behavioral Insights Team's North American branch out of New York. Since its establishment in August 2015, BIT North America has -- as a partner on the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Initiative -- worked with municipal government across the US, and conducted over twenty randomized control trials in the process. These trials have examined what works in a wide range of contexts, from improving code enforcement processes, to boosting access to healthcare, to collecting government debt, and beyond. Prior to moving to the US, Elspeth worked with BIT in London running the education, skills, and youth portfolio. As part of her work, Elspeth was the founding Director of the Behavioural Research Centre for Adult Skills and Knowledge (ASK), the remit of which is to apply behavioral science to improve educational outcomes for adult learners. During her time with BIT (on both sides of the pond) Elspeth has worked on a range of complex social issues, leading projects in settings as diverse as foster care, national school funding and employment. Prior to joining BIT, Elspeth was a senior consultant at a large consultancy firm where she worked with public sector clients around the world.