Complex problems require interdisciplinary solutions
Answers to the world’s most complex problems will come from more than one discipline. But the dots won’t connect themselves. That’s where you come in.
Degree highlights
Our 'Arts and Sciences: Interdisciplinary Problems and Methods' (BASc) is the first programme of its kind in the UK.
Undergraduate degree (BASc)
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September 2025
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3-years
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£9,275 / a year
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London
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Full-time
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Arts and Sciences: Interdisciplinary Problems and Methods (BASc)
Our undergraduates tackle complex, real-world problems by applying knowledge and skills from a range of subjects.
The problems our students tackle are complex in nature and require interdisciplinary solutions e.g. climate change, ethical AI, the future of cities, and social inequality.

The core of our approach
At the heart of our BASc degree you’ll find three things: complex problems, interdisciplinarity (many different subjects), and the opportunity to work with real organisations.


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Study Complex Problems
You’ll have the opportunity to study problems like climate change, inequality, and the future of cities. You'll engage with multiple subjects and disciplines simultaneously, gaining different perspectives on these complex problems. You could be taught complexity theory by a physicist one day, and graphic design by an artist the next.
You’ll be able to focus on the parts of these problems that interest you, as well as choosing your own problems entirely on multiple occasions.
Discover Methods
Along with interdisciplinary perspectives, you will study qualitative and quantitative methods, which will enable you to apply what you know. They are tools and techniques, literacies and competencies, designed to improve your learning by doing and help you take action.
Work with real organisations
You’ll have the chance to do genuine work of value throughout your degree - whether that’s via a project brief in term time, where an organisation asks you to help them on a problem, or during your summer internship.
At the end of each academic year, we broker optional, paid internships for all UK students in good standing with the university.
Previous employer organisations include KPMG, Innocent Drinks, Fidelity International, Tech Nation, MTR Elizabeth Line, Texture AI, B Corp UK, Spitalfields City Farm, Making Design Circular, and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

What do our students think?
"After starting a 'monodisciplinary' degree, I was dissatisfied with the extremely limited scope of knowledge that was being taught. I stumbled upon LIS and discovered the degree that would give me the space to explore several academic interests, all while developing an invaluable professional skillset. No brainer."
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Jet
Current Student
"You know when someone asks if you could have one super power, what would it be? LIS really feels like that superpower."
Dhiresh
Current Student
"I left secondary education deeply frustrated. I felt I had been forced to narrow it down and couldn't understand why. It seemed so clear that the things I cared about - sustainability, health promotion, community building, and the revolution heralded by AI, couldn't be understood (let alone tackled!) by one discipline alone.. Finding a university where I didn't have to sacrifice any of my interests, that had a strong focus on professional skills, and that would allow me to grapple with real-world problems was absolutely a no-brainer. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else."

Sarah
Current Student
"LIS is exactly the institution I hoped it would be plus more. The collected faculty has such diverse and overlapping sets of interests that I feel as though every field and method is only a message away. Without the dusty tradition and institutional sluggishness of my previous universities, the staff have been able to listen fully to students and their partners to build the university around the problems it solves. It's a really exciting place to be, and I'm thrilled to see how it continues to develop.”

Jethro
Current student
"During my time at LIS, I have grown to recognize the vital nature of interdisciplinary collaboration in unravelling complex problems. By forging connections between seemingly unrelated fields, we facilitate a more intricate and all-encompassing understanding of the world we inhabit and inspire the birth of positive change.”

Geanina
Current student
"After starting a 'monodisciplinary' degree, I was dissatisfied with the extremely limited scope of knowledge that was being taught. I stumbled upon LIS and discovered the degree that would give me the space to explore several academic interests, all while developing an invaluable professional skillset. No brainer."
.png)
Jet
Current Student
"You know when someone asks if you could have one super power, what would it be? LIS really feels like that superpower."
Dhiresh
Current Student
"I left secondary education deeply frustrated. I felt I had been forced to narrow it down and couldn't understand why. It seemed so clear that the things I cared about - sustainability, health promotion, community building, and the revolution heralded by AI, couldn't be understood (let alone tackled!) by one discipline alone.. Finding a university where I didn't have to sacrifice any of my interests, that had a strong focus on professional skills, and that would allow me to grapple with real-world problems was absolutely a no-brainer. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else."

Sarah
Current Student
"LIS is exactly the institution I hoped it would be plus more. The collected faculty has such diverse and overlapping sets of interests that I feel as though every field and method is only a message away. Without the dusty tradition and institutional sluggishness of my previous universities, the staff have been able to listen fully to students and their partners to build the university around the problems it solves. It's a really exciting place to be, and I'm thrilled to see how it continues to develop.”

Jethro
Current student
"During my time at LIS, I have grown to recognize the vital nature of interdisciplinary collaboration in unravelling complex problems. By forging connections between seemingly unrelated fields, we facilitate a more intricate and all-encompassing understanding of the world we inhabit and inspire the birth of positive change.”

Geanina
Current student
"After starting a 'monodisciplinary' degree, I was dissatisfied with the extremely limited scope of knowledge that was being taught. I stumbled upon LIS and discovered the degree that would give me the space to explore several academic interests, all while developing an invaluable professional skillset. No brainer."
.png)
Jet
Current Student
"You know when someone asks if you could have one super power, what would it be? LIS really feels like that superpower."
Dhiresh
Current Student
"I left secondary education deeply frustrated. I felt I had been forced to narrow it down and couldn't understand why. It seemed so clear that the things I cared about - sustainability, health promotion, community building, and the revolution heralded by AI, couldn't be understood (let alone tackled!) by one discipline alone.. Finding a university where I didn't have to sacrifice any of my interests, that had a strong focus on professional skills, and that would allow me to grapple with real-world problems was absolutely a no-brainer. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else."

Sarah
Current Student
"LIS is exactly the institution I hoped it would be plus more. The collected faculty has such diverse and overlapping sets of interests that I feel as though every field and method is only a message away. Without the dusty tradition and institutional sluggishness of my previous universities, the staff have been able to listen fully to students and their partners to build the university around the problems it solves. It's a really exciting place to be, and I'm thrilled to see how it continues to develop.”

Jethro
Current student
"During my time at LIS, I have grown to recognize the vital nature of interdisciplinary collaboration in unravelling complex problems. By forging connections between seemingly unrelated fields, we facilitate a more intricate and all-encompassing understanding of the world we inhabit and inspire the birth of positive change.”

Geanina
Current student
The curriculum
Throughout Year 1, you’ll gain key knowledge and skills from a diverse range of disciplines, with real-world problems acting as a framework for your thinking. You’ll build on this foundation in Years 2 and 3, becoming equipped with an increasingly sharp, interdisciplinary problem-solving toolkit.
In this module, students practice applying an interdisciplinary approach to a complex problem – one where there is no agreed solution, and where people disagree even about the nature of the problem.Problems 1a focuses on problems of inequality, e.g. big gaps in wealth, income, housing, health or education.
Students study two different disciplinary perspectives e.g. Neuroscience (how our environment influences our brain development), Network Science (how people influence each other through social networks), Political Economy (how government policies and economic markets interact) and Linguistics (how the language shapes thought and behaviour).
Knowledge and skills:
- Epistemology (theory of knowledge)
- Problem-framing
- Pitching and public speaking
This module introduces qualitative methods – tools for investigating aspects of the world that can’t easily be measured with numbers. Here, students focus on the difficulty in quantifying the emotional impact that a piece of writing or interaction with another person has on us.
How does it feel when you read something, or when you meet someone in a social setting? How and why does your reading or your encounter with that person have the impact that it does? This module provides ways of addressing these questions.
Knowledge and skills:
- Thematic analysis
- Close reading
- Participant observation
Quantitative Methods 1a is a foundational module that sets the stage for LIS’ programme of quantitative (i.e., numbers-based) methods, introducing learners to numerical and quantitative thinking.
Students develop order of magnitude estimation techniques (making estimates and approximate comparisons) before introducing basic scientific literacy skills and formulating questions that can be tackled quantitatively. The second half of this course uses Excel and Python to visualise data and to develop statistical methods.
Knowledge and skills:
- Coding (Python)
- Experimental methods
- Fermi estimation
This module builds on Problems 1a, introducing more concepts and skills that students can use to tackle complex problems. The problem area is global environmental change. Students work in groups to research a specific environmental and/or climate-related problem in their local area, in collaboration with a company, non-profit, or public sector institution.
They interview their ‘client’ about the different people and organisations involved, and then choose two disciplinary perspectives from four (currently Environmental Studies or Materials Science, and Politics or Law) to explore their research questions and write a consultancy report.
Knowledge and skills:
- Drawing and understanding connections
- Working with external organisations
- Stakeholder mapping
In Qualitative Methods 1b: Images and Systems, students explore visual language as a process that has multiple dimensions. The module starts by mapping information through mind maps and feedback loops. Students then learn to read the visual world by discussing and analysing images, before learning how to create them through photography and videography.
This module gives students skills for exploring forms of thinking that bring visual phenomena to the fore. Students will finish the module knowing how visual entities can be taken as structures for recollection, mapping, analysis, and even intervention on the world.
Knowledge and skills:
- Information mapping
- Photography
- Videography
The title of the course has two meanings. The first is that students will learn think about data: to analyse, summarise, and plot data – to find patterns and draw conclusions. We ask students to think about what the data means, how it could deceive, and how to avoid drawing the wrong conclusions.
The second meaning is using data to help you think. Students learn how to use data to think through the deep ideas of probability and uncertainty in evidence. On this journey, students will get an introduction to new approaches in data analysis, (“data science”) and start to learn about data science techniques such as machine learning
Knowledge and skills:
- Data science
- Statistics
- Machine learning
Problems 1c is the culmination of the first year, building on concepts and methods learned in all modules so far. Students still study a complex problem, but this time they choose it. They then design and develop an individual project under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
The result is a written study plus a visual or video product that presents the results of the study to all interested people, inside and outside of LIS. Problems 1c helps students to take stock of the progress they have made in their first year, and develop personal skills through planning, research, independent learning, networking, and initiative.
Knowledge and skills:
- Project management
- Independent research
- Networking
In Problems 2a, you’ll learn to think critically about technological innovation and contested developments. To do so, you’ll learn concepts from Legal and Political Theory, Data Studies, Technology and Culture Studies, and the Philosophy of AI.
This year's problem statement concerns the UK's approach to the regulation of artificial intelligence. Students will learn about “solutionism,” and will be encouraged to think critically about quick fixes to problems and evaluate the UK government's approach to the regulation of AI, using the concepts learnt in this module.
Knowledge and skills:
- Technology ethics
- Legal and Political theory
- Data studies
Problems 2b focuses on problems surrounding urban futures. What sort of future should we be enabling for our cities? How, why, and when? This module will move you from developing hypotheses to focusing on the design of interventions.
Through workshops and off-site urban exploratory walks and prototyping projects, you’ll be able to test and measure the impact of collaborative and interdisciplinary interventions to further the opportunities of urban futures.
Knowledge and skills:
- Architecture
- Prototyping
- Project management
Superconcepts are powerful ideas that originate in one discipline but go on to have far-reaching and creative applications in other disciplines. For example, evolution (from biology to memes in psychology) or entropy (from physics to migration flows in geography). Students learn the key points of some important superconcepts and apply these in creative ways to a real-world problem.
Mental Models are explanations of thought processes. They give insight into a variety of biases and heuristics that help us understand economics, business, politics and a range of social behaviour. Students have space to learn a range of mental models and to apply these to a problem of personal interest.
Knowledge areas:
- Superconcepts (big ideas that have changed the world)
- Mental models (understanding how and why people think as they do)
- Analogising and modelling
In Problems 2c, you'll bring together some of the Qual and Quant methods you have learnt in the second year and apply them to a complex real-world problem of your choosing. You'll start by reviewing what is known about the problem in different disciplines, and then bring together at least two different approaches in one ‘mixed methods’ study.
You'll also produce a short video or podcast excerpt to share your findings or outputs with a named professional audience of your choice. The video option allows for a lot of flexibility, from an animation or documentary, to showcasing a design, prototype, or series of artistic works.
Knowledge and skills:
- Independent study
- Mixed methods research
- Professional communication
Across the year, you will be able to select 3 methods from across the qualitative and quantitative methods options, of which one must be quantitative, and one must be qualitative. These electives will allow you to shape the direction of your learning by allowing you to build on existing skills or explore completely new methods.
What do you do when you write? You think on paper, digitally or otherwise. Writing up thoughts in the form of an argument results in better communication. Writing can be done in many ways, so different styles are often associated with different forms of thinking and doing. Thinking (writing) like a philosopher is not the same as thinking (writing) like a poet, or an architect.
In this module, we ask questions of interdisciplinarity by examining interdisciplinary thinking in the context of writing. We do this by focusing on one interdisciplinary kind of writing: manifesto writing. Some manifestos have the power to mix styles much in the same way as cross-disciplinary knowledge has the power to make us see things in new ways.
Knowledge and skill:
• Writing and communication
• Critical thinking
• Argumentation and storytelling
Starting with a recap of pre-calculus ideas, you will develop an understanding and fluency in the use of single-variable calculus techniques. This is the branch of mathematics that deals with the study of functions and their rates of change, which includes a mixture of analytical, numerical, and computer algebra tools.
You will learn to use differential equations to model real-world problems, e.g. disease spread, climate and energy. This includes learning the numerical techniques for solving differential equations and creating computer simulations. The end of the module is devoted to student-led projects culminating in a computational essay.
Knowledge and Skills:
• Dimensional analysis
• Calculus• Mathematical modelling
• Differential equations
• Computer simulations
In a world where everyone is competing for your attention, how can we tell the story of a complex issue like climate change? This module looks at the forms and structures which storytellers use — from a five-act play to a podcast, and on to a Virtual Reality platform.
Along the way, we consider the business models which support today’s media organisations. At the end of the modules, you’ll put it all together in an authentic multi-media campaign strategy which draws on everything you’ve learnt.
Knowledge and skills:
• Narrative and Storytelling
• Media techniques
• Business models
Network science is an important mathematical tool in today’s world, as many of our day-to-day environments are made of networks. In this module, you will learn to represent networks mathematically as ‘graphs’ and study how to find the shortest paths, cycles, tours and colourings. You will learn about equilibrium and dynamics in networks, and how to apply this to model epidemics.
Then, you will study matchings in graphs, which are related to mechanism design for allocation of indivisible resources. We will move on to game theory and how this is used to analyse strategies and choices in real-world situations in politics, economics and business. You will study strategic form games (e.g. prisoner’s dilemma, the commons problem), dominant strategies and Nash equilibria.
Knowledge and skills:
- Mathematical modelling
- Dynamics in networks
- Strategic thinking
- Mechanism design
This module provides you with methods used to collect, understand, interpret and create images. You’ll explore how images create meaning — images do not exist in isolation — by gathering visual information (recollection methods), creating an archive (analytic methods) and via your own creative research.
You’ll develop skills in camera (visual diaries), photogrammetry (the science of making reliable measurements through photographs), archival practices, collage, and creative research. This toolkit enables you to craft your own visual narratives: communication and interpreting the visual aspects of your wider world.
Knowledge and skills:
• Photography
• Curating and archiving
• Creative research methods
How does your phone predict the word you’re going to use next? How might we decode an alien signal if we received one? How can we figure out when documents share topics and when they don’t? This module teaches you how to analyse language at speed and scale using libraries in the Python programming language.
You’ll earn how to obtain large samples of language data and extract non-obvious insights from them. You’re also exposed to the basic principles of machine learning with language. At all points, you’re encouraged to use NLP in an interdisciplinary way to add to your learning in other modules.
Knowledge and skill:
• Natural Language Processing (using Python)
• Linguistics
• Data analytics
Design thinking is a human focused creative process to improve life, through design. It involves ‘thought and action’ to observe, speculate, respond, test, apply, evaluate and refine solutions to problems, to improve life for people and the planet. Its application is universal, ranging from products to services to processes at any scale and in any situation.
Key design thinking mindsets and models and methods have been adopted across professions and across the globe, proving particularly effective in addressing complex issues across and within social, economic, environmental and spatial conditions. Accessible by designers, non designers and end users alike, outcomes are wide ranging, enabling the creation of revolutionary innovation as well as incremental change through prototyping solutions where the financial inputs v. outputs are no less attractive than a traditional single input/output cost.
This module is an introduction to design thinking where we will look at different industries that practice it, why and when different methods are applied, what the impact is and what can be gained from these methods that can be applied across disciplines and problems.
Knowledge and skills:
• Design principles
• Empathy mapping
• Prototyping
• Ideation
This module uses the computer as a powerful tool to implement and explain the ideas we need for sound conclusions from noisy and complex data. You’ll add to your knowledge from your first year to build computational models that allow us to explain relationships with data, and to predict new data.
You’ll focus on “machine learning” approaches to data as they are increasingly dominant across academia, industry, law, and government. You’ll learn to understand these methods in order to understand and criticise their output and to build effective models of your own.
Knowledge and skills:
• Data science
• Modelling
• Machine learning
Material science is the science of stuff. Having a solid understanding of Material Science connects the world around you in a more holistic way. This module is for students who enjoy making and understanding what makes the world around them.
Whilst traditionally Material Science starts with studying the chemistry and physics of atoms, this module takes a ‘design-led’ approach. This means following a brief and its constraints, and from there, selecting and studying the properties of materials. The process involves both experimental making methods and rigour in following the material science data to inform the material selection process.
Key knowledge and skills:
- Experimentation and design
- Material science
- Sustainability
This module builds on other modules on the course, depending on the project in question and the knowledge and skills in quantitative and qualitative methods acquired up to the point of starting the capstone project. The primary mode of teaching is through supervision, and therefore this module also provides an experience of an extended supervision process.
Through this module, you will practice how to initiate and carry out an extended interdisciplinary research project and (where appropriate) how to undertake original research. You will consolidate your interdisciplinary research and problem-solving skills through the evidencing of sophisticated and correct research practice, academic conventions (such as sourcing, referencing etc) and communication. You will also consolidate a sophisticated understanding of the ethical issues that may underlie any extended research or other project.
In year 3, you’ll choose 5 options from a selection of modules, with at least 1x quantitative and 1x qualitative method included in your curriculum. You’ll also explore mixed methods in more depth. These final modules will help shape your Capstone Project.
The qualitative methods in Year 3 will directly support your research for your capstone project by providing advanced and immersive training in qualitative research strategies and techniques.
You’ll choose at least one and up to four qualitative and visual methods module.
Example modules:
- Design Thinking•
- Global Thinking
- Thinking Through Writing
- Applied Ethnography, Practical Ethics
- Communities & Campaigning
The quantitative methods in Year 3 will directly support your research for your capstone project by providing advanced and immersive training in quantitative research strategies and techniques.
You’ll choose at least one and up to four quantitative methods modules.
Example modules:
- Data Science and Machine Learning in Practice
- Intermediate Quantitative Modelling
- Advanced Case Studies in Data Science and Machine Learning
- Advanced Quantitative Modelling
- Simplifying Complexity
- Network and Games
Bringing together your work in different methods in both Year 1 and 2, this module extends your understanding of what it means to select and implement a range of methods for tackling a challenge. This module prepares you well for many master’s degree programme, as well as research in business, the public sector, and more.
We reserve the right to not run a module if there is insufficient student interest.
The content of our modules is subject to change as we revise our modules each year depending on student feedback, developments in the field, and the complex problems of the modern world. To gain a degree in the UK you must pass a certain number of credits in each year of the degree. Each module is given a credit, which you are awarded when you pass each module at assessment.

"It is so cliché but find comfort in discomfort. Don’t limit yourself to anything as that’s where you will find yourself growing!!"
Here from students on life at LIS, finance, course work, and more.
Carl is the Lead Academic at LIS and oversees curriculum design, teaching, and learning. He was previously a Professorial Teaching Fellow of Interdisciplinary Education at UCL and is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
She/Her
Amelia is a social scientist with a background in policy and consulting. She studies how education systems adapt to societal and economic change. Prior to LIS, Amelia taught in the Social Policy department at LSE. She received her PhD from Harvard and her BA from Oxford.
He/Him
Michael is the Registrar at LIS. In this role, Michael led the team in securing new Degree Awarding Powers. This milestone ensured that LIS was the first Higher Education Institution to begin with the ability to award its own degrees for over fifty years. Michael has set up and run two charities: Causeway Education (focused on supporting access to higher education and the professions) and the LIS Foundation (LIS’s sister charity). Michael sits on the Board of LIS, is a Trustee of Causeway Education, a parent governor of STEP Academy, and holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge. Michael teaches elective modules focused on the narratives of wicked problems.
Anson is a theoretical physicist with a background in building models in condensed matter theory. He specialises in complex systems with many-body interactions. He received his undergraduate degree and PhD from Cambridge University where he was a research fellow and remains an affiliated lecturer. Keenly interested in the pedagogical development of problem-solving skills at the secondary-tertiary interface, he is a trustee of the British Physics Olympiad, and he has also served in middle management in secondary schools.
He/They
Ash is an interdisciplinary educator, writer, and consultant. He holds an MBiochem degree in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry from the University of Oxford, an MSc in Environmental Anthropology from the University of Kent, and a PhD in Education for Sustainability from Wageningen University and Research Centre in The Netherlands.
Rosita is a UCL BASc graduate living the polymath life with more than one career. She is a self-taught web engineer who loves building with code as well as traditional materials.
Bronwyn is a human behavioural scientist interested in the evolution of social behaviours, particularly music and dance. She completed her DPhil (PhD) at the University of Oxford and has continued her research in evolutionary anthropology and psychology there.
She/Her
Emma was a Lecturer in Law and Data Science at the University of Birmingham before joining LIS. She also previously taught legal theory, political theory, international law, and philosophy of science at the University of Amsterdam. She holds a Master of Law (LLM) from the University of Cambridge and a BSc in Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics (PPLE) from the University of Amsterdam. Emma is currently completing a PhD in Law at the University of Birmingham, focusing on algorithmic regulation.
James is a computational linguist who uses artificial intelligence to understand the relationship between cognition and culture. He is especially interested in the intersection between interpretive, computational, and experimental methods of inquiry. His research has been funded by the Wellcome Trust, the European Commission, and Innovate UK. Previous to coming to LIS, James worked in Brunel University London, Lancaster University, and the University of Oxford (where he held a Junior Research Fellowship). He is also founding director of Texture AI, a data science company that has had the BBC, Google, ITV, Reach PLC, the UK Cabinet Office and other leading organisations as clients.
Mattia is a philosopher with a background in economics and interests in academic governance and innovation. His work is conceptual and the subject is social philosophy. Over the years, he has sought to connect and integrate concepts of social ontology across a range of intellectual discourses and styles, from cognitive science to theology. Before joining LIS as an Associate Professor, Mattia lectured on the philosophy of the social sciences at LSE and he managed a multidisciplinary program on the human mind in the School of Advanced Study at the University of London. As a postdoc, he held fellowships at Columbia University and the Jean Nicod Institute in Paris.
Lara is a designer who trained in architecture and spatial design in Glasgow, Madrid and London. Lara has worked in academia, city regeneration, government policy, design studios, think tanks and global organisations that are focused on the bettering of people and planetary life. Her interests are in social and spatial justice, spatial design, multilateral partnerships and innovative governance.
He/Him
James studied languages at Cambridge, then worked for three years in public sector communications, before completing a Masters in English Literature at Queen Mary, University of London, and a PhD in the history of science at UCL. He has taught on the Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences degree programme at the University of Birmingham and the Arts and Sciences programme at UCL.
She/Her
María Angélica is an artist, who has exhibited her work in cities such as Los Angeles, London, and Cali. She is a founding faculty member at the LIS, where she leads in Prep Culture and Content Creation. Additionally, she is an Honorary Professor at El Bosque University in Colombia, where she was Head of Art from 2015 to 2020. She holds an MA in Art from the Slade School of Fine Art, UCL, and an additional MA in Philosophy and Critical Theory from Kingston University.
Waqās is the author of the internationally acclaimed book The Polymath (Wiley 2019) and founder of the DaVinci Network. He has edited several volumes for international organisations such as the UNESCO Universal Declaration of Cultural Diversity book (2022). He holds a BSc in Economics (SOAS) and postgraduate degrees in International History (LSE) and Neuroscience (King's College London). Waqas has been Visiting Scholar at the University of Cambridge and Visiting Fellow at the Open University Business School, with research interests including comparative theology, non-Western art, cognitive flexibility and interdisciplinary leadership. Outside of academia, he has been a diplomatic journalist, charity director and entrepreneur.
He/Him
Isaiah is an award-winning polymathic creative scholar from Stratford, East London, passionate about belonging, education, and creative expression. His interdisciplinary career spans academia, investment management, law, venture capital, technology, and branding. Recipient of the inaugural Amos Polymath Award in 2021, Isaiah joined LIS in 2019, where he teaches anthropology, design, ethnography, and ethics, while leading the undergraduate and master’s coaching programmes. He completed his undergraduate degree at UCL, LSE, and Harvard, and is currently pursuing a government-funded PhD in anthropology at Oxford, exploring belonging and social mobility among diverse students. Isaiah has collaborated with organisations such as Adobe, Cambridge University, Depop, Airbnb, Hachette, the British Royal Family, and the NHS, and works as a writer, speaker, curator, consultant, and creative strategist.
Carl is the Lead Academic at LIS and oversees curriculum design, teaching, and learning. He was previously a Professorial Teaching Fellow of Interdisciplinary Education at UCL and is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
She/Her
Amelia is a social scientist with a background in policy and consulting. She studies how education systems adapt to societal and economic change. Prior to LIS, Amelia taught in the Social Policy department at LSE. She received her PhD from Harvard and her BA from Oxford.
He/Him
Michael is the Registrar at LIS. In this role, Michael led the team in securing new Degree Awarding Powers. This milestone ensured that LIS was the first Higher Education Institution to begin with the ability to award its own degrees for over fifty years. Michael has set up and run two charities: Causeway Education (focused on supporting access to higher education and the professions) and the LIS Foundation (LIS’s sister charity). Michael sits on the Board of LIS, is a Trustee of Causeway Education, a parent governor of STEP Academy, and holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge. Michael teaches elective modules focused on the narratives of wicked problems.
Anson is a theoretical physicist with a background in building models in condensed matter theory. He specialises in complex systems with many-body interactions. He received his undergraduate degree and PhD from Cambridge University where he was a research fellow and remains an affiliated lecturer. Keenly interested in the pedagogical development of problem-solving skills at the secondary-tertiary interface, he is a trustee of the British Physics Olympiad, and he has also served in middle management in secondary schools.
He/They
Ash is an interdisciplinary educator, writer, and consultant. He holds an MBiochem degree in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry from the University of Oxford, an MSc in Environmental Anthropology from the University of Kent, and a PhD in Education for Sustainability from Wageningen University and Research Centre in The Netherlands.
Rosita is a UCL BASc graduate living the polymath life with more than one career. She is a self-taught web engineer who loves building with code as well as traditional materials.
Bronwyn is a human behavioural scientist interested in the evolution of social behaviours, particularly music and dance. She completed her DPhil (PhD) at the University of Oxford and has continued her research in evolutionary anthropology and psychology there.
She/Her
Emma was a Lecturer in Law and Data Science at the University of Birmingham before joining LIS. She also previously taught legal theory, political theory, international law, and philosophy of science at the University of Amsterdam. She holds a Master of Law (LLM) from the University of Cambridge and a BSc in Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics (PPLE) from the University of Amsterdam. Emma is currently completing a PhD in Law at the University of Birmingham, focusing on algorithmic regulation.
James is a computational linguist who uses artificial intelligence to understand the relationship between cognition and culture. He is especially interested in the intersection between interpretive, computational, and experimental methods of inquiry. His research has been funded by the Wellcome Trust, the European Commission, and Innovate UK. Previous to coming to LIS, James worked in Brunel University London, Lancaster University, and the University of Oxford (where he held a Junior Research Fellowship). He is also founding director of Texture AI, a data science company that has had the BBC, Google, ITV, Reach PLC, the UK Cabinet Office and other leading organisations as clients.
Mattia is a philosopher with a background in economics and interests in academic governance and innovation. His work is conceptual and the subject is social philosophy. Over the years, he has sought to connect and integrate concepts of social ontology across a range of intellectual discourses and styles, from cognitive science to theology. Before joining LIS as an Associate Professor, Mattia lectured on the philosophy of the social sciences at LSE and he managed a multidisciplinary program on the human mind in the School of Advanced Study at the University of London. As a postdoc, he held fellowships at Columbia University and the Jean Nicod Institute in Paris.
Lara is a designer who trained in architecture and spatial design in Glasgow, Madrid and London. Lara has worked in academia, city regeneration, government policy, design studios, think tanks and global organisations that are focused on the bettering of people and planetary life. Her interests are in social and spatial justice, spatial design, multilateral partnerships and innovative governance.
He/Him
James studied languages at Cambridge, then worked for three years in public sector communications, before completing a Masters in English Literature at Queen Mary, University of London, and a PhD in the history of science at UCL. He has taught on the Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences degree programme at the University of Birmingham and the Arts and Sciences programme at UCL.
She/Her
María Angélica is an artist, who has exhibited her work in cities such as Los Angeles, London, and Cali. She is a founding faculty member at the LIS, where she leads in Prep Culture and Content Creation. Additionally, she is an Honorary Professor at El Bosque University in Colombia, where she was Head of Art from 2015 to 2020. She holds an MA in Art from the Slade School of Fine Art, UCL, and an additional MA in Philosophy and Critical Theory from Kingston University.
Waqās is the author of the internationally acclaimed book The Polymath (Wiley 2019) and founder of the DaVinci Network. He has edited several volumes for international organisations such as the UNESCO Universal Declaration of Cultural Diversity book (2022). He holds a BSc in Economics (SOAS) and postgraduate degrees in International History (LSE) and Neuroscience (King's College London). Waqas has been Visiting Scholar at the University of Cambridge and Visiting Fellow at the Open University Business School, with research interests including comparative theology, non-Western art, cognitive flexibility and interdisciplinary leadership. Outside of academia, he has been a diplomatic journalist, charity director and entrepreneur.
He/Him
Isaiah is an award-winning polymathic creative scholar from Stratford, East London, passionate about belonging, education, and creative expression. His interdisciplinary career spans academia, investment management, law, venture capital, technology, and branding. Recipient of the inaugural Amos Polymath Award in 2021, Isaiah joined LIS in 2019, where he teaches anthropology, design, ethnography, and ethics, while leading the undergraduate and master’s coaching programmes. He completed his undergraduate degree at UCL, LSE, and Harvard, and is currently pursuing a government-funded PhD in anthropology at Oxford, exploring belonging and social mobility among diverse students. Isaiah has collaborated with organisations such as Adobe, Cambridge University, Depop, Airbnb, Hachette, the British Royal Family, and the NHS, and works as a writer, speaker, curator, consultant, and creative strategist.
Carl is the Lead Academic at LIS and oversees curriculum design, teaching, and learning. He was previously a Professorial Teaching Fellow of Interdisciplinary Education at UCL and is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
She/Her
Amelia is a social scientist with a background in policy and consulting. She studies how education systems adapt to societal and economic change. Prior to LIS, Amelia taught in the Social Policy department at LSE. She received her PhD from Harvard and her BA from Oxford.
He/Him
Michael is the Registrar at LIS. In this role, Michael led the team in securing new Degree Awarding Powers. This milestone ensured that LIS was the first Higher Education Institution to begin with the ability to award its own degrees for over fifty years. Michael has set up and run two charities: Causeway Education (focused on supporting access to higher education and the professions) and the LIS Foundation (LIS’s sister charity). Michael sits on the Board of LIS, is a Trustee of Causeway Education, a parent governor of STEP Academy, and holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge. Michael teaches elective modules focused on the narratives of wicked problems.
Anson is a theoretical physicist with a background in building models in condensed matter theory. He specialises in complex systems with many-body interactions. He received his undergraduate degree and PhD from Cambridge University where he was a research fellow and remains an affiliated lecturer. Keenly interested in the pedagogical development of problem-solving skills at the secondary-tertiary interface, he is a trustee of the British Physics Olympiad, and he has also served in middle management in secondary schools.
He/They
Ash is an interdisciplinary educator, writer, and consultant. He holds an MBiochem degree in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry from the University of Oxford, an MSc in Environmental Anthropology from the University of Kent, and a PhD in Education for Sustainability from Wageningen University and Research Centre in The Netherlands.
Rosita is a UCL BASc graduate living the polymath life with more than one career. She is a self-taught web engineer who loves building with code as well as traditional materials.
Bronwyn is a human behavioural scientist interested in the evolution of social behaviours, particularly music and dance. She completed her DPhil (PhD) at the University of Oxford and has continued her research in evolutionary anthropology and psychology there.
She/Her
Emma was a Lecturer in Law and Data Science at the University of Birmingham before joining LIS. She also previously taught legal theory, political theory, international law, and philosophy of science at the University of Amsterdam. She holds a Master of Law (LLM) from the University of Cambridge and a BSc in Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics (PPLE) from the University of Amsterdam. Emma is currently completing a PhD in Law at the University of Birmingham, focusing on algorithmic regulation.
James is a computational linguist who uses artificial intelligence to understand the relationship between cognition and culture. He is especially interested in the intersection between interpretive, computational, and experimental methods of inquiry. His research has been funded by the Wellcome Trust, the European Commission, and Innovate UK. Previous to coming to LIS, James worked in Brunel University London, Lancaster University, and the University of Oxford (where he held a Junior Research Fellowship). He is also founding director of Texture AI, a data science company that has had the BBC, Google, ITV, Reach PLC, the UK Cabinet Office and other leading organisations as clients.
Mattia is a philosopher with a background in economics and interests in academic governance and innovation. His work is conceptual and the subject is social philosophy. Over the years, he has sought to connect and integrate concepts of social ontology across a range of intellectual discourses and styles, from cognitive science to theology. Before joining LIS as an Associate Professor, Mattia lectured on the philosophy of the social sciences at LSE and he managed a multidisciplinary program on the human mind in the School of Advanced Study at the University of London. As a postdoc, he held fellowships at Columbia University and the Jean Nicod Institute in Paris.
Lara is a designer who trained in architecture and spatial design in Glasgow, Madrid and London. Lara has worked in academia, city regeneration, government policy, design studios, think tanks and global organisations that are focused on the bettering of people and planetary life. Her interests are in social and spatial justice, spatial design, multilateral partnerships and innovative governance.
He/Him
James studied languages at Cambridge, then worked for three years in public sector communications, before completing a Masters in English Literature at Queen Mary, University of London, and a PhD in the history of science at UCL. He has taught on the Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences degree programme at the University of Birmingham and the Arts and Sciences programme at UCL.
She/Her
María Angélica is an artist, who has exhibited her work in cities such as Los Angeles, London, and Cali. She is a founding faculty member at the LIS, where she leads in Prep Culture and Content Creation. Additionally, she is an Honorary Professor at El Bosque University in Colombia, where she was Head of Art from 2015 to 2020. She holds an MA in Art from the Slade School of Fine Art, UCL, and an additional MA in Philosophy and Critical Theory from Kingston University.
Waqās is the author of the internationally acclaimed book The Polymath (Wiley 2019) and founder of the DaVinci Network. He has edited several volumes for international organisations such as the UNESCO Universal Declaration of Cultural Diversity book (2022). He holds a BSc in Economics (SOAS) and postgraduate degrees in International History (LSE) and Neuroscience (King's College London). Waqas has been Visiting Scholar at the University of Cambridge and Visiting Fellow at the Open University Business School, with research interests including comparative theology, non-Western art, cognitive flexibility and interdisciplinary leadership. Outside of academia, he has been a diplomatic journalist, charity director and entrepreneur.
He/Him
Isaiah is an award-winning polymathic creative scholar from Stratford, East London, passionate about belonging, education, and creative expression. His interdisciplinary career spans academia, investment management, law, venture capital, technology, and branding. Recipient of the inaugural Amos Polymath Award in 2021, Isaiah joined LIS in 2019, where he teaches anthropology, design, ethnography, and ethics, while leading the undergraduate and master’s coaching programmes. He completed his undergraduate degree at UCL, LSE, and Harvard, and is currently pursuing a government-funded PhD in anthropology at Oxford, exploring belonging and social mobility among diverse students. Isaiah has collaborated with organisations such as Adobe, Cambridge University, Depop, Airbnb, Hachette, the British Royal Family, and the NHS, and works as a writer, speaker, curator, consultant, and creative strategist.
Fees and funding
Find out more about our course fees, financing options, and support available through bursaries and grants.
These are the fees for the 2025/26 academic year
Admissions timeline
29th of Jan 2025
July 5th 2025
until 29th of Aug 2025
29th of Sept 2025
Our admissions process looks a little different to that of a traditional university. We think that’s a good thing.


