Rory Gallagher

VISITING FELLOW

2014 - PRESENT

Rory Gallagher, until recently, led the Behavioural Insights Team’s work across the Asia-Pacific, and was with BIT since its inception in 2010. He has led trials and policy interventions across the region in a range of policy areas, from employment and education, to health and housing. Dr Gallagher led the establishment of the New South Wales Department of Premier and Cabinet’s Behavioural Insights Unit — the first Australian agency dedicated to applying BI to public policy. He set up and led BIT’s Australia office, which works with a number of State and Commonwealth Departments, as well as NGOs and philanthropic bodies across the country. He also oversaw BIT's work in the APAC region, including the BIT's Singapore office, and helped establish the first BI trials and teams in Singapore.

Dr Gallagher is now the chief policy and research officer at a new not-for-profit that is committed to revolutionising the way the Australian community is involved in politics and policymaking.

He holds a PhD in health and behaviour change from Cambridge University. He has been a Visiting Fellow at the Singapore Civil Service College since 2014, and an Honorary member of the University of Melbourne’s School of Psychological Sciences since 2018. Prior to joining BIT, Dr Gallagher worked in the UK Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit and the UK Department of Education.

He is the co-author of Think Small: The surprisingly simple ways to reach big goals (Michael O'Mara Books Limited, 2017) (read a review of the book here).