Lightbody, Ruth

Dr Ruth Lightbody

Lecturer
Ruth joined GCU in 2014 after completing her MSc in Political Research from the University of Strathclyde. She more recently obtained her PhD which looked at the role of public hearings in institutionalising deliberative democracy to promote environmental policy making.

Ruth’s research focuses on the role of citizens in participatory and deliberative democracy. Ruth has been involved in a number of research projects which look at democratic innovations as a way to engage citizens in discussions on renewable energy. She has most recently been commissioned to carry out an evidence review exploring equality in community engagement for What Works Scotland and the Centre for Families and Relationships. Ruth is also undertaking research on how experts use and communicate evidence within deliberative processes for Scotland’s Centre of Expertise on Climate Change (ClimateXChange).