Exploring a new model for political decision-making

Speakers

• Mario Scharfbillig

  Science for Policy Analyst, European Commission

  Belgium

• Laura Smillie

  Policy Analyst, European Commission

  Belgium

• Mario Scharfbillig, Science for Policy Analyst at the European Commission. Mario is a behavioural economist who studies values, social identities and polarisation and their influence on political behaviour and the uptake of scientific evidence. Since 2019, he has worked as behavioural researcher at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission with a focus on improving evidence-informed policymaking in the EU.

• Laura Smillie, Project Leader of the European Commission's Enlightenment 2.0 research programme. Laura was the Director of External Relations at the internationally renowned institute Rothamsted Research prior to joining the European Commission in 2017. Having successfully completed a Masters in European Communications, specialising in the psychology of cultural diversity, Laura spent 2 years heading up internal and external communications for Deloitte. Thereafter, she worked for 5 years as a senior communications consultant for Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. She spent the following 5 years heading up communications for the not-for-profit European Food Information Council (EUFIC). In 2010, Laura was appointed Senior Communications Adviser and Deputy Director of Communications to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).