Laura Gerards Iglesias

Laura Gerards Iglesias is an academic staff member and PhD candidate at the Institute for Conflict Management at the European University Viadrina. Previously, she worked as a project manager at the Berlin Governance Platform, where she developed and implemented municipal participation processes across Germany. Before that, she worked with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue in Geneva and Kyiv, focusing on inclusive mediation and cross-border dialogue processes. She studied International Affairs at the Hertie School in Berlin and the Graduate Institute in Geneva, as well as European Studies at Maastricht University and Sciences Po Paris.

At the institute, she focuses on intra- and inter-societal dialogues for sustainable peacebuilding and the promotion of democracy. As a mediator and participation expert, she facilitates and supports local dialogue processes and works on practical issues related to integrated peace engagement and the conditions for achieving impact. In her doctoral research project, she explores how conflict-sensitive participation processes contribute to strengthening democracy in peacebuilding and transformation contexts.

Research Interests:

• Democratic participation
• Intra- and inter-societal dialogue
• Integrated peace engagement