The International Parliament Engagement Network (IPEN) brings together academics, parliamentary staff and third sector representatives from across the world, to promote collaboration and encourage knowledge sharing around parliaments and public engagement.
IPEN was founded in 2020 as a collaboration between the Centre for Democratic Politics at the University of Leeds and the UK House of Commons Service, both of which are the core partners at the heart of IPEN.
Between May 2022 and September 2025 IPEN co-hosted the Public Engagement Hub of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), with its Centre for Innovation in Parliament (CIP). The IPU has remained another key partner of IPEN.
In 2026, IPEN welcome another key partner: the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD). This partnership will see IPEN and WFD deliver joint activities.
Our Executive Team
The network is run by an Executive Team which sets its strategic direction and plans activities. The team is a mixture of academics and parliamentary staff, including representatives of IPEN’s core partners, who are committed to the network’s aims, shape its agenda and help deliver its objectives.
Professor Cristina Leston-Bandeira acts as the Chair of IPEN, with Dr Sarah Moulds and Dr Elise Uberoi as its Deputy-Chairs. Please see below more details on the Executive team’s members:
Cristina Leston-Bandeira
Chair of IPEN
Professor of Politics,
University of Leeds
Elise Uberoi
Deputy Chair of IPEN
Head of Social Policy Section,
House of Commons Library
Sarah Moulds
Deputy Chair of IPEN
Associate Professor in Law,
University of Adelaide
Alisson Bruno Dias de Queiroz
e-Citizenship Program Coordinator,
Brazilian Federal Senate
Eva Campos Domínguez
Associate Professor of Communication,
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Sally Coyne
Head of Public Engagement Services Office,
The Scottish Parliament
Franklin De Vrieze
Head of Practice (Accountability)
Westminster Foundation for Democracy
Sasha Greig
Manager of the Parliamentary Visitor Experience
New Zealand Parliament
Temitayo Odeyemi
IPEN Diversity Champion
Research Fellow in Democratic Resilience,
University of Birmingham
Dr Brenda Ogembo
Principal Clerk Assistant and the Deputy Head of the Senate Liaison Office,
Parliament of Kenya
Alex Prior
Lecturer in Politics,
London South Bank University
Matt Ringer
Director of Participation
UK House of Commons
Chris Shaw
Clerk of the Home Affairs Committee,
House of Commons
