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I’m Rebecca Gebauer, a political scientist based in Glasgow, UK, specialising in Democratic Innovations and, in particular, Deliberative Mini-Publics. My research explores how participatory democracy can enhance governance and civic engagement, with a focus on the world’s first and (at the time of writing) only permanent mini-public—the Permanent Citizens’ Dialogue in the German-speaking Community of East Belgium (Permanenter Bürgerdialog der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft in Ostbelgien). I am currently pursuing a PhD at the Université Catholique de Louvain, supervised by Prof Min Reuchamps and Dr Vincent Jacquet.

I hold an MA in Politics with Quantitative Methods and an MRes in Political Communication from the University of Glasgow, where my passion for democratic innovation was first sparked during my undergraduate studies.

Beyond academia, my journey has been shaped by diverse experiences. Before entering higher education, I worked as a retail manager in Germany and later as a technical support agent in Glasgow. I am a committed human rights advocate, serving as a trustee for Global Minorities Alliance, and I actively engage in community and national initiatives through the Church of Scotland. Additionally, I am honoured to be an alumna of the OTI Initiative, where I explored conflict studies through experiential learning, including a field trip to Israel and the Occupied Territories.

More recently I became a member of Rotary Clydebank, furthering my commitment to service and community engagement.

Work with Me

I am available for consultancy work and speaking engagements, offering expertise in:

✔ Survey design and analysis
✔ Skill development workshops
✔ Participative and deliberative event facilitation

If you’re interested in collaborating, feel free to get in touch!

And, as my Bluesky followers know, I have an enduring love for lighthouses—my summer holidays are usually planned around their locations (and the availability of cherries!).

For more details, please visit the CV section of this website.