Páll Jónsson, PhD, heads Science Policy and Research (SP&R) at UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The primary objectives of SP&R are i) to ensure that NICE's research priorities are understood and progressed, and ii) to facilitate appropriate policy responses to the latest research and scientific developments impacting NICE. In his role, Dr Jónsson leads NICE's contribution to a portfolio of international research projects in areas including big data and real-world evidence. Dr Jónsson has a PhD in bioinformatics from University College London and previously worked in academia and the pharmaceutical industry before joining NICE. He sits on advisory boards of several international projects in the area of health technology assessment.