Beatriz Garcia is the Director of CC:RO | Cities of Culture Research Observatory at the University of Liverpool. She is a member of the European Capital of Culture Selection Committee, nominated by the European Commission; and expert member at the Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission, nominated by the International Olympic Committee. Beatriz has been at the forefront of research on the rhetoric, impact and long term legacy of culture-led city regeneration interventions since 1999. She has conducted fieldwork on the cultural impact of every edition of the Olympic Games since Sydney 2000. Other projects directed by Beatriz include a review of all available evidence on the first three decades of the European Capital of Culture program; the pioneering Impacts 08 ~ 18 program, a 20-year study on the socio-economic and cultural impacts of Liverpool as European Capital of Culture; and the first nation-wide assessment of a Cultural Olympiad, focusing on the London 2012 Olympic Games. To conduct this research, Beatriz has been funded by national and international bodies such as the European Parliament, European Commission, International Olympic Committee, United Cities and Local Governments, British Council, British Academy, and Research Councils UK. She received her Ph.D. in communication science from the Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.