I research, write, and speak about democracy, exclusion, and social justice. My background is in constitutional and international public law (University of Amsterdam, Panthéon-Sorbonne). I began my career as a strategist and researcher at BKB Campagnebureau and conducted research for Stichting Democratie en Media on the relationship between ‘new’ media and democracy. My PhD at the University of Amsterdam focused on the democratic legitimacy of international law, including a research period at Sydney Law School. During this time, I also taught at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies on intelligence and security services. For nine years, I was involved with Join for Joy, a foundation that trains primary school teachers in rural Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, and Zambia to implement play-based learning as a teaching method, promoting gender equality and inclusivity in the classroom.

After defending my PhD (2016), I moved to the U.S. with my family for six years, where I explored how exclusion takes shape in a democracy—who benefits from it, and who fights against it. I interviewed leading American scholars, connecting their insights with my research on democracy and my lived experiences in the U.S. This resulted in my book Vreemde Eenden. Op zoek naar gelijkheid in een wereld vol anderen (2021, Uitgeverij Podium).

Building on this research, I developed and taught the course Reimagining Equality for three years at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Amsterdam. In 2024, I taught History of Legal Theory at PPLE and contributed to the development and teaching of Making a Change in Amsterdam, a course in which students examine polarization and social change in the city.

At the heart of my work is the question: How do we shape an inclusive democracy—and what role do we play in it? In addition to teaching, I give lectures for businesses, universities, and government institutions (in Dutch and English).

I have a deep love for books. I narrate audiobooks for Stichting Dedicon, making literature accessible to people with reading disabilities. I am also available as a voice-over for narrative and corporate projects, including documentaries, museum audio tours, and audiobooks. You can listen to my demo here (in Dutch):

Feel free to reach out via LinkedIn!