Starting a New Chapter

Today I am turning the page to start a new chapter in my professional life. In this post I’d like to reflect on the past chapter – stand still for a second and recap – and look at what’s ahead.

Three years ago, I decided to give up my permanent contract in a youth care institution for a temporary contract as a postdoc at KU Leuven and Maastricht University. After doing a PhD as an external researcher in the field, I wondered how it would be to be really part of academia.

Looking back

For the past three years, the team at CELL with supervisor Prof Otgaar generously allowed me to explore all facets of academia. On the teaching side, I got to supervise master students, give guest lectures, help prepare exams, and co-coordinate a bachelor’s course. Not least, I co-managed the awesome ‘Benefit of the Doubt’ project in which I took on a bit of an organizing role in addition to supervising and guiding students throughout the project (see Project Voordeel van de Twijfel). In terms of research, the lab introduced me to experimental research, I learned more about open science practices and using R, I gained experience with grant writing, and I collaborated on several of the lab’s projects while I also got the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues outside the lab. Besides these teaching and research activities, I have been part of a dissertation committee (suddenly sitting on the other side of the defense aisle!), served on scientific advisory boards, helped organize online talks and symposia, and connected with police and media to share knowledge from our field of forensic/legal psychology.

Listing these activities is not meant to show off (sorry if it reads like that). It is more of a reflection to myself - to realize that I did "accomplish" things. Throughout the past three years, I often felt unaccomplished and drifting because I didn't have a clear research plan. It is nice (and surprising) to see the wide variety of activities I have engaged in. I surely got to experience academia, with its freedom and its politics... and its job insecurity. So far I have not been able to secure research grants and staying in academia as a researcher is challenging without funding. I learned that I prefer to keep teaching activities to a minimum so tenure-track positions do not appeal to me. Additionally, I started missing having a connection with practitioners and the field. Therefore, I began looking outside higher education for research positions. With success!

What’s ahead

I am very pleased to be starting a postdoc position at the Dutch Research Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR). NSCR was recently evaluated by a committee of international independent experts and they labeled the organization as the top research institute for crime and law enforcement in Europe and the world. The organization was praised for its high-quality research with a societal impact and applications for practice. Moreover, NSCR was complimented for its open and inclusive culture. I can’t wait to be part of it!

For the next four years, I will conduct research in a large-scale project on alternative sentencing in the Netherlands, under the leadership of NSCR and WODC. This longitudinal research program was developed in collaboration with field organizations (Ministry of Justice and Security, probation services, child protection services, Halt). It will evaluate the decision-making, implementation, and effectiveness of alternative sentences. These are sentences that offer an alternative to prison sentences; one can think of community service, electronic monitoring, suspended prison sentences, etc. This project will provide me with many new opportunities, such as getting to know the field of criminology better, supervising PhD students, and managing a huge dataset, to name a few. This research program offers a neat combination of doing research according to high academic standards and directly impacting practice as the research is set out to inform the policy of the involved organizations. More information about the program can be found here (in Dutch): https://nscr.nl/grootschalig-onderzoek-naar-effecten-van-vrijheidsbeperkende-sancties/

During this time, I hope to stay connected with KU Leuven’s LINC and CELL as a research fellow and continue to be involved in projects related to the topic of wrongful conviction.

Amsterdam, Baby!

NSCR is located in Amsterdam, and I am fortunate to have found an affordable apartment in this beautiful city. After a three-year intermezzo in Belgium, I am back in the Netherlands and it feels good! I am excited for what’s to come both professionally and personally.

?

#newjob #academia #postdoc #research #nscr #sentencing #wrongfulconvictions #professionalreflections