Joanne van der Leun is Professor of Criminology.

More information about Joanne van der Leun

Joanne van der Leun holds multiple administrative roles at the university and serves as a Professor of Criminology. She is the International Lead for International Affairs for the rector and a board member of UNA Europa, acting as the contact person within Leiden University. Additionally, she is active in the LERU network. 

She chairs several committees focused on evaluating collaborations, including those related to knowledge safety, fossil fuels, and LUF donations. She advised the Executive Board with a working group on a procedure for Sensitive Collaborations and will be involved in its implementation after the decision-making process. 

Furthermore, she coordinates the national cross-cutting theme of the Social Sciences and Humanities sector plan for the SSH Council. At Leiden Law School, she chairs the FdR450 anniversary committee among other activities. 

Joanne van der Leun served as Dean of Leiden Law School from 2016 to 2023. She also chaired the council of law schools in the Netherlands (RDR) and was a member of the SSH Council. In 2024, she chaired one of the clusters for the national education accreditation for law. She has a strong interest in internationalisation, interdisciplinary collaboration, educational innovation, leadership, and diversity & inclusion. In 2020, she was named one of the top 50 most influential women in Leiden in the first edition of the Leiden Top 50. 

Previously, she worked at Utrecht University, where she was a student, and Erasmus University Rotterdam, where she earned her PhD with a dissertation on irregular migration. 

Research Her research focuses on crimmigration and trafficking in human beings. She is a research fellow in the Criminal Justice: Legitimacy, Accountability, and Effectivity programme. As a supervisor, she mentors several PhD candidates alongside her colleagues. 

Teaching Currently, Joanne van der Leun only gives guest lectures. She was a pioneer of the Leiden Criminology degree programmes and taught both the bachelor’s and master’s programmes in Criminology and Comparative Criminal Justice. She was involved in developing and teaching a wide range of courses in the Criminology and Law degree programmes. 

Publications