Nieke Elbers

Nieke Elbers serves as Associate Professor in Liability Law at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam's Faculty of Law and as Senior Researcher at the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR). She leads the Empirical Legal Studies help desk at VU Law School, co-manages the Amsterdam Law and Behaviour Institute (A-LAB), and serves on the WO&MEN@VU network board and Ministry of Justice advisory committees for victim research. Her interdisciplinary work bridges law, psychology, and criminology with a focus on improving victims' experiences within legal systems.

Her educational background includes a PhD in Empowerment of Injured Claimants from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (2013), a Master in (Neuro)Psychology from Maastricht University (2006), and a Traineeship in Work Disability Prevention from University of Toronto (2015). She previously completed a Postdoc at University of Sydney (2013-2016) funded by an NWO Rubicon grant.

Elbers' research centers on Empirical Legal Studies, victimology, and restorative justice, with particular emphasis on procedural justice as an empowerment tool, prevention of secondary victimization, and realization of victim rights across criminal, civil, and administrative law. Her methodologically rigorous work combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to examine how legal procedures impact victims' wellbeing, with special attention to compensation systems, victim impact statements, and the roles of lawyers, insurers, and healthcare providers in victim recovery. She takes an interdisciplinary perspective on victim recovery after crime or accidents, working closely with policymakers, legal experts, and healthcare specialists.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals consistent focus on victim rights implementation across European jurisdictions, with particular attention to sexual violence compensation systems, medical-legal interfaces, and restorative approaches within academic institutions. Her work demonstrates growing interdisciplinary integration between legal studies, psychology, and healthcare, with increasing emphasis on practical applications of restorative justice principles in diverse institutional settings.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• Jan van Dijk Victimology and Victims' Rights Award (2014)
• NWO Aspasia Grant for talented female researchers (2023)
• Female Scientist Talent Gezina van der Molenfonds (2021)

Elbers actively mentors the next generation of legal scholars as primary supervisor for four PhD candidates (Iris Becx, Rachel Dijkstra, Angelique Reitsma, Marleen Kragting) and has coordinated numerous research projects with significant external funding, including EU-funded initiatives on victim compensation, Ministry of Justice-commissioned evaluations of victim rights legislation, and her current leadership of the 'Building a Restorative University' project. She also volunteers as a neighborhood mediator with BeterBuren in Amsterdam, applying her expertise in conflict resolution at the community level.

Her current research leadership includes the 'Victims, Citizenship, and Justice' International Research Collaborative with Griffith University, and she plays a key role in developing VU Amsterdam's restorative justice initiatives through the A-LAB institute and the Law, Markets and Behavior program.