Can you introduce yourself?
I have been working at Radboud University since 2020. I am involved in teaching in the LLM International and European Law and the European Law School Bachelor's. I thus coordinate the LLM courses "International Human Rights Law" and "Litigating Human Rights" (a new course that I am setting up with my colleague Jasper Krommendijk), and I supervise Master's theses.
Before joining Radboud University, I worked at Tilburg University, where I obtained my PhD on human rights in the context of migration deals. Before that, I studied Dutch law at Utrecht University, and social sciences and international human rights law in the UK.
I am a member of the Radboud Young Academy and of the editorial board of the Netherlands Yearbook of International Law.
Why did you choose to study/work in this field? What makes this field so interesting?
Human rights and migration law serve to understand what happens in the world: they are topics that dominate the news, where events, policies and laws develop very fast. Studying and working in this field enables me to understand these developments. As an academic, I can also contribute to public debates, for instance by sharing my expertise with journalists and the Dutch and European parliaments.
In addition, the intersection between human rights and migration raises many very interesting legal questions, such as: should we distinguish refugees from (economic) migrants? Do states have human rights obligations towards persons outside their territory? Can a state be held accountable for providing support to another state that commits human rights violations?
What are you currently doing your own research on?
I do research on various topics related to human rights and migration. I still work on migration deals, or what is commonly called "externalisation" of asylum and migration, i.e. when states try to shift migration control and asylum outside their own territory (e.g. the UK-Rwanda deal). I research whether such deals are legal under international and European law, and who can be held accountable for human rights violations suffered by people on the move. I also work on the new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, that contains the new European laws on asylum that all EU Member States must implement.
Beyond migration, I look at different ways to hold actors that contributed to human rights violations accountable, for instance during a war. It is fascinating to look at the interaction between national, European and international law, and think about how accountability gaps can be filled.
What advice do you have for students making their study choice?
Choose a programme that suits you, both in terms of the content (what area do you want to specialise in? what courses does the programme offer?) and the institution (how big are the classes? do you like the city?)
While your study choice often influences what job you will have in the short term, it becomes increasingly less relevant as you progress in your career. Ultimately, it is important to develop skills that will serve you in your future career.
What is the best part of working with students?
Teaching is by far the most rewarding part of my job. I really enjoy guiding students through their journey across human rights and migration law, witnessing how they learn, and - crucially - engaging in discussions with them. I try to not only teach "how the law works" but to also critically examine its grey areas and shortcomings. Often there is no straightforward "right" or "wrong" answer, and we all learn a lot (myself included!) from discussing complex issues.