I’m a political scientist from Gijón, with family roots in a small mining area in rural Asturias. Growing up between the city and a rural community marked by mining decline and strong territorial identities sparked my interest in how place, history, and everyday experiences shape political behaviour. I’m now based in Berlin, working as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Potsdam on the Powerful Polls Project.

Before moving to Germany, I completed my PhD at the European University Institute in Florence, after studying at the Juan March Institute and Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. My academic path has taken me through Madrid, Florence, Toulouse and San Francisco, and each place has shaped how I think about identities and the many ways people make sense of politics.

My research looks at how identity, territory and information influence political choices, with a particular focus on rural–urban divides, far-right support, gender and political representation. Methodologically, I combine survey experiments with causal inference techniques applied to observational and panel data, as well as text analysis, archival work, and qualitative methods, including interviews and focus groups.

Here in Berlin, I’m continuing this agenda by studying how polling trends shape perceptions of party legitimacy and voter decisions, while also working on other projects. Currently, I am part of the HOMES Project, which examines how housing inequalities can shape political behaviour.

Outside of work, I try to keep a balance with the things I enjoy most. I play football whenever I can and follow both FC Barcelona and Sporting de Gijón with probably too much enthusiasm. I’m a board-game geek, I watch a lot of films and series, and I occasionally (and badly) play the guitar. And, of course, a big part of my daily life is my dog, Bilbo, who has accompanied me through PhD chapters, fieldwork trips and more than one conference deadline.

If you’d like to know more, feel free to explore the rest of the site, or just write to me at rebeca.antuna@uni-potsdam.de or rebeca.gonzalez@eui.eu.