Claudia Sternberg

Claudia Sternberg is a Principal Research Fellow and Head of Academic Programming at the UCL European Institute, University College London. She joined UCL in 2015 after serving as an Early Career Fellow at Oxford University's Department of Politics and International Relations and St Hugh's College (2009-2015), where she also held a Research Fellowship from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (2009-2011).

Dr. Sternberg earned her PhD and MPhil from Cambridge University, MA from Yale University, and completed undergraduate studies at Freie Universität Berlin. She has been a visiting doctoral student at Sciences Po and served as a contract lecturer at Sciences Po Paris and Wiener-Anspach Postdoctoral Fellow at Université libre de Bruxelles (2008-2009).

Her research focuses on European and international politics, with particular interest in political power, authority, and the role of ideas, ideologies, and narratives in shaping relationships between citizens, peoples, and their states or international organizations. She specializes in EU legitimacy, mutual recognition, and bridging theoretical and empirical research approaches. Her work explores concepts like 'legitimacy' and 'recognition' across different political contexts and time periods, from the early European integration period to contemporary crises.

Dr. Sternberg's recent publications reveal a consistent scholarly trajectory examining EU legitimacy, Euro crisis dynamics, and mutual recognition between European nations. Her work has evolved from historical analysis of EU legitimacy contests (2013) to contemporary crisis analysis (2017) and most recently to examining how architecture and politics interact in European parliamentary settings (2023). This progression demonstrates her ability to apply core theoretical frameworks to evolving European political challenges.

Her significant scholarly contributions have been recognized with several prestigious awards:

• 2014 UACES Best Book Prize for 'The Struggle for EU Legitimacy'
• 2015 Pademia Award
• 2013 Theseus Awards
• 2002 Sage Award for Best APSA Paper in Comparative Politics

As Head of Academic Programming at the UCL European Institute and academic coordinator of its Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, Dr. Sternberg plays a key leadership role in shaping research agendas and academic collaborations. Her collaborative work, particularly with Kalypso Nicolaidis and Kira Gartzou-Katsouyanni on Greco-German relations during the Euro crisis, demonstrates her commitment to interdisciplinary and international scholarly partnerships.

Dr. Sternberg leads innovative research initiatives examining the relationship between citizens and political power in Europe. Her current work extends beyond traditional political science boundaries to investigate how physical spaces and architecture shape political power dynamics, as evidenced by her 2023 edited volume 'Parliament Buildings: The Architecture of Politics in Europe.'