Rebecca Chau

Bec Chau serves as a Senior Research Fellow at the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP), operating within The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment at University College London. Her multidisciplinary practice focuses on leveraging design methodologies to transform public sector capabilities and community outcomes through co-creation of built and natural environments.

Her research integrates participatory design to redistribute power between citizens and city-makers, systemic design to enable cross-sector collaborations, and service design to balance human and ecological needs. Current work centers on advancing equity in urban development through co-created public services that address social transformation imperatives. Key methodologies emphasize user experience frameworks applied to spatial and institutional contexts.

As a core member of the Public Sector Capabilities Index team, she co-designs assessment tools with global city governments to identify critical skills gaps in problem-solving capacities. This initiative directly supports municipal efforts to deliver innovative services while tackling complex societal challenges through strengthened institutional capabilities. The project represents a practical application of her design philosophy in real-world governance contexts.