Monique van Cauwenberghe

Monique van Cauwenberghe is a Junior Researcher and Teacher at the Faculty of Law, University of Groningen. Her work bridges law, health, and interdisciplinary approaches to address climate-related human rights challenges. She coordinates the Groningen Centre for Health Law (GCHL) and Global Scientific Network on Law and Tobacco (GCHL & University of Queensland), and contributes to initiatives like the GCHL Student Blog and Aletta’s Talent Network.

Education:

• LLM International Human Rights Law, University of Groningen
• MA International Development Practice, Monash University
• Graduate Certificate in Health and Human Services, University of Melbourne
• Double BA in Arts and Middle Eastern & Central Asian Studies, Australian National University

Research Focus: Specializes in socio-economic rights frameworks, mental health, gender-based violence, and displacement caused by climate disasters. Current projects include:

• Planetary Health: An Interdisciplinary Exploration
• Right to Health Indicators in Climate Extreme Weather Events
• Legal Epidemiology: Smoke/Aerosol-Free Zones Impact Analysis

Investigates health arguments in climate litigation, particularly mental health and gender-based violence in displacement contexts.

Professional Roles:

• Member of EU COST Action CLIMENT (Climate Change & Mental Health)
• Coordinator NNHRR Working Group on Human Rights & Climate Crisis
• Teaching Assistant in Qualitative Methods, RUG Campus Fryslan
• Student Mentor for Minor 'More Healthy Years'

Non-Academic Work: Non-profit experience includes health literacy programs for migrant/refugee communities in Australia and roles at the General Delegation of Palestine to Australia.