Daniela Heimpel is a postdoctoral research fellow (Max Weber Fellow) at the European University Institute and an associated researcher at the Centre Marc Bloch. She is a political scientist, specializing in European studies. Her research focuses on (citizenship) education, European citizenship, deliberative and participatory democracy, democratic innovations and the future of democracy, transnational democracy, pluralism, European integration, and EU education policies. Building on her doctoral dissertation in political theory, her upcoming monograph investigates the idea of European citizenship education and critically analyzes EU education policies and discourses in this area (forthcoming with ÉUB). In addition, she co-directed a collaborative research project on 'Challenges of Pluralism' in contemporary liberal societies in Europe and North America ("Les défis du pluralisme", 2014-2018). For her work, she has received third-party funding and a number of scholarships and awards, including the Jean Monnet Award 2018 for research excellence in European studies and two APSA Civic Education Awards.

Her current research project focuses on citizen participation in Europe. In particular, she is interested in experiments in deliberative and participatory democracy at the EU level. She investigates whether, how and when participation in such transnational experiments can enhance the capacity of the involved citizens to take part in Europe’s transnational democracy and foster European citizenship education in practice. The project includes two case studies: the Conference on the Future of Europe (2021-2022) and the "new generation" of European Citizens’ Panels organized by the European Commission since 2022. Daniela is also a member of the EUI Forum on Democratic Participation and the Future of Europe (EUI-STG Democracy Forum) and of the Democratic Odyssey project.

Before joining the EUI, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre Marc Bloch and co-director of the research focus 1 "The State, Political Norms, and Political Conflicts". Previously, she worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Montreal Centre for International Studies (CÉRIUM) and as a research associate at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (project "Franco-German Forum for the Future"). She holds a PhD in Political Science from the Université de Montréal and the Université de Nantes (2021) and a Master in European Studies from the Université libre de Bruxelles (2013).

Areas of Expertise

• European Union
• European Citizenship
• Citizenship Education
• Transnational Democracy
• Conference on the Future of Europe and Citizen Participation in Europe
• Deliberative and Participatory Democracy
• Pluralism
• EU Education Policies
• European Education Area

Her publications include :

• D. Heimpel, Former des démocrates transnationaux ? L'UE et l'éducation à la citoyenneté européenne, Éditions de l'Université de Bruxelles, forthcoming (October, 2025; pre-orders, see here).
• D. Heimpel, "Quelle éducation à la citoyenneté pour l'Europe transnationale ?", in T. Coignard and C. Spector (eds.), Europe philosophique, Europe politique. L'héritage des Lumières, Paris, Classiques Garnier, 2022, p. 53-73.
• D. Heimpel and S. Taher (eds.), Les défis du pluralisme : au-delà des frontières de l’altérité, Montréal, Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal, 2018, foreword by Charles Taylor.
• D. Heimpel and S. Taher, "Introduction : le pluralisme et les démocraties libérales", in D. Heimpel and S. Taher (eds.), Les défis du pluralisme : au-delà des frontières de l’altérité, Montréal, Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal, 2018, p. 13-44.
• D. Heimpel, "Former le citoyen européen ? Réflexions sur le concept d’éducation civique dans le cadre de l’intégration politique transnationale de l’Europe", Eurostudia, vol. 12, n° 1, 2017, p. 1-26.

Scholarships and Distinctions (Selection)

• 10/2019 - 03/2020: Ph.D. scholarship, FAZIT-Foundation
• 04/2018: Jean-Monnet Award 2018 for research excellence in European Studies, Jean Monnet Center Montreal
• 10/2016 - 09/2019: Ph.D. scholarship, Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation.
• 06/2016: Ostrom / Awan Civic Education Award, American Political Science Association, Centennial Center for Political Science & Public Affairs (with Saaz Taher)
• 09/2015 - 12/2015: Ph.D. writing grant, Montreal Centre for International Studies (CÉRIUM)
• 09/2014: Ostrom / Awan Civic Education Award, American Political Science Association, Centennial Center for Political Science & Public Affairs (with Saaz Taher)
• 04/2019 - 09/2013: (merit-based) scholarship for the B.A. and the M.A., Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation.

Languages: in particular, German (mother tongue), French (fluent), English (fluent), Italian (very good).

Contact: daniela.heimpel[at]cmb.hu-berlin.de

X: @D_Heimpel