Laura Ripoll Gonzalez

Biography

Dr Laura Ripoll Gonzalez is a political scientist specialising in public administration, regional development, place-based governance, place branding, and sustainability. Her research on co-creation and place branding has informed participatory governance models for sustainable regional development. Using mixed methods and action research, Laura explores stakeholder engagement, citizen participation, and governance processes. Laura has an extensive publication record and has led consultancies, competitive funding (EU Horizon / MSCA), and collaborative research initiatives. Her interdisciplinary research spans business, public policy, and law, focusing on sustainability transitions, resilience, and policy development. She works with academic, government, industry, and community partners across Australia, Europe, and Asia to co-design and translate research into practical outcomes.

Laura's work contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals

Research

Sustainability transitions and regional development; stakeholder participation, networks, legitimacy, strategic communication, public trust, governance, and institutional responses.

• Qualitative interviews, focus groups, and document analysis
• Participatory action research and sociological intervention
• Policy and discourse analysis
• Quantitative survey analysis
• PRISMA systematic reviews and mixed qualitative-computational approaches

Before entering academia, Laura worked in event management and communications, developing strong communication, stakeholder engagement, and collaboration skills. She is multilingual (English, French, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Mandarin, Dutch and German) and brings extensive international and cross-cultural experience from professional and academic work across Australia, Asia, and Europe.

Laura's key strengths are:

• Interdisciplinary expertise spanning academic research, consultancy, and policy
• Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and stakeholder engagement skills
• Extensive international and cross-cultural collaboration experience
• Proven leadership across higher education, government, private, and community sectors
• Advanced quantitative and qualitative research expertise
• Commitment to integrity, diversity, inclusion, and evidence-based outcomes