Daniela’s research topic is: “Right to a Fair Trial in Brazilian Appellate Courts: A Feminist Perspective”. From October to December 2021 she undertook a Placement in the UK Government’s Open Innovation Team, a cross government unit that works with academics to generate analysis and ideas for policy. They help officials have better quality discussions about their policy areas, and help academics understand how they can work more effectively with government.

Daniela’s placement met her initial expectations of developing a deep understanding of UK policy and how to work on projects that aim to provide advice to government sectors using quantitative and qualitative research, but also went beyond that. She learned, for example how to engage with government officials, understand their goals and provide advice accordingly.

Daniela worked on a policy project to help a government sector implement its sustainability strategy, conducting a case study on successful sustainable approaches in the private sector, gathering academic evidence and interviewing academics to identify consensus on the topics, communicating findings to senior stakeholders and developing slides that gave a clear understanding of effective, sustainable actions and how these can be adapted from the private sector to the government. Her seniors praised her leadership on this project, which now informs their policy decision making.

Daniela also got involved with the Policy School that The Open Innovation provides to undergraduate students from partner Universities, offering them guidance on their ideas for future policy implementation.

Daniela says:

“The placement has impacted extremely positively on my thesis and my understanding of research impact. It was possible for me to participate in projects that rely on socio-legal research to improve UK policy, using both quantitative and qualitative research. It was a unique opportunity to understand how public policies are designed in the UK and therefore, how to increase the impact of my research on the real world. It added to my previous experience as a civil servant in my home country. This will allow me to compare and contrast the policymaking process in both developed and developing countries, strengthening the comparative aspect of my thesis. Also, it was a great way to expand my network and get professional experience in the UK Civil Service environment.”