I am a researcher and analyst in public administration, organisational theory, and workforce diversity. I completed my PhD at Bocconi University in 2024, where I have also taught as an Academic Fellow, and recently concluded a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Milan–Bicocca. 

My research examines how and why public organisations contribute to learning from the public, generating, mediating, and transferring knowledge about public experience across government and policy ecosystems, and under what conditions this contribution is effective and democratically legitimate. A recurring theme across my work is voice: how external and internal voice is constructed, mediated, and acted upon in organisations and governance systems. I also work on strategic governance and the causes and consequences of workforce diversity. 

Alongside my research I engage with policy and practitioner communities in public administration and governance.  Before returning to research I was a member of the UK Government Economic Service, working as an analytical adviser across policy areas including better regulation, the EU single market, and higher education reform. I also served as a secondee to the Italian public administration on digital single market policy.

For more information, see my research page or send me an email at rebecca.kirley@unibocconi.it.