Merel Jonker

Dr. Merel Jonker is an Associate Professor at the Molengraaff Institute for Private Law, part of Utrecht University School of Law. Specializing in family law, she conducts multidisciplinary research on financial responsibilities between parents and children, child abduction, and social security rights. Jonker collaborates with the Utrecht Center for European Research into Family Law (UCERF) and contributes to Utrecht University's strategic program Dynamics of Youth.

• Research Areas: Family Law, Comparative Law, Norwegian-Dutch Legal Analysis
• Key Collaborations: Social scientists, mathematicians, and international law experts

Her work combines legal analysis with empirical methods like surveys and interviews. Recent projects examine child support in complex families and the Netherlands' reservation to Article 26 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Jonker also teaches family law and private international law at bachelor's and master's levels.

Notable collaborations include the Verwey-Jonker Institute for social domain research and the ZonMw-funded project New Opportunities for Second Track Reintegration through Virtual Reality. While no specific scientific awards are mentioned, her research has directly influenced policy discussions with the Ministry of Justice and Security.