Research Practitioner Scheme
Urban Lab’s Research Practitioner Scheme is an exciting opportunity for academics to build deep, long-term, and mutually enriching partnerships with local policymakers.
About the programme
In collaboration with council officers and policymakers, Urban Lab Research Practitioners will use their expertise to support the creation of evidence-led policy and have the opportunity to pilot research ideas and test “what works” in a real-word setting.
The programme matches Research Practitioners with individual directorates whose work most closely aligns with their expertise, as well as with the council’s multi-disciplinary team of analysts.
Researchers will use their specialist knowledge to guide policymaking and to impact socio-economic outcomes in Westminster by identifying key local challenges, developing joint research proposals with council officers, and working together to seek external funding for such work.
We also offer various platforms for presenting and showcasing projects, as well as social events and networking opportunities.
Download the programme’s terms of reference:
Researcher testimonials
Vanessa Galeano-Duque
Vanessa Galeano-Duque is an urban economist with a record in urban development planning and policy. Holding a Ph.D. in Development Policy from the Bartlett Development Planning Unit at University College London, Vanessa brings robust expertise in regeneration strategies, land use management, and public investment decision-making.
Currently, Vanessa serves as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh Business School, where she explores the nexus between policy, AI and green transitions. She was involved as a Researcher at the Data Science Institute of the London School of Economics and Political Science, leading a project on the effects of urban interventions on public health.
Her project, in collaboration with the Westminster City Council Urban Lab, focused on developing a toolbox for spatial analysis to assess the impact of the North Paddington Programme on health inequalities in Westminster. This initiative underscores her commitment to leveraging data-driven insights to inform effective urban health policies.
Vanessa's prior engagements include consultancy roles for The World Bank and UrbanEmerge, and she has been in academic circles, contributing as lecturer in multiple universities in UK, Chile and Colombia. Her work is driven by a passion for addressing urban challenges and socio-economic disparities through meticulous research and strategic interventions.
Vanessa’s research with Westminster City Council contributes towards achieving Fairer Communities within Westminster by addressing health inequalities.
Connie Junghans
Connie Junghans is a part time Senior Clinical Fellow on the Innovation and Evaluation theme of the NIHR North West London Applied Research Collaboration within the Department of Primary Care and Public Health at Imperial College London. She is also the Social Care lead on the NIHR ARC NWL.
She combines her academic work with clinical work as a GP in Westminster and as Public Health Specialist and Epidemiologist at Westminster City Council. Prior to joining Imperial College in 2016 as an Academic Clinical Fellow and GP trainee, Connie trained as a postgraduate in Medicine at Kings College London.
She holds a PhD in Epidemiology and Medical Statistics from the Faculty of Medicine at Bristol University. She is passionate about community led preventative Primary Care and health creation. In particular, she evaluates the implementation of the Community Health Worker model based on the Brazilian Family Strategy in the UK and its role in community cohesion and resilience.
Connie’s research aligns with Westminster City Council’s #2035 programme with Imperial Health Trust, which aims to halve the gap in life expectancy for people living in Westminster by 2035.