As of 1 January 2021, Dr Elena Kantorowicz-Reznichenko and Dr Pieter Desmet have been appointed as Professor on the Joint Chair Quantitative Empirical Legal Studies at Erasmus School of Law. These appointments are in line with the mission of Erasmus School of Law to foster careers in research, and directly related to the School’s ambition to expand its position as a leading research institute through the methodological focus on empirical legal studies, and the launch of a new cross-disciplinary research centre Public and Private Interests - Towards a new Balance.
With the establishment of the Joint Chair Quantitative Empirical Legal Studies Erasmus School of Law recognises the importance of empirical legal studies as a growing sub-discipline within the empirically driven branch of legal science that has benefitted in recent years from the vast amount of (big) data. It will further strengthen this methodological focus of Erasmus School of Law across the various substantive research and teaching areas, namely also relating to the role of law in safeguarding public and private interests, and complements the already existing chairs Empirical Legal Studies and Experimental Legal Studies at Erasmus School of Law.
Vice Dean Research Professor Fabian Amtenbrink is pleased: “The establishment of the Joint Chair in Quantitative Empirical Legal Studies is a wonderful opportunity to reinforce and further embed the already very strong methodological focus of Erasmus School of Law on empirical research as a tool to advance knowledge in the field of law and criminology and to provide policy and law makers with evidence-based solutions to the societal challenges we face as society.”
About Elena Kantorowicz-Reznichenko
Elena Kantorowicz-Reznichenko’s research focuses on empirical legal studies in general and experimental methods in particular. She investigates empirically legal questions from a variety of fields such as public policies and regulations (nudges), constitutional law and copyrights law. She is also an international expert on day fines, as demonstrated by her leading publications in the field as well as the advisory roles she is invited to take. Finally, she also conducts research in the field of international criminal law. Elena’s educational background is very interdisciplinary as she obtained degrees (with distinctions) in law, psychology, and law & economics. Before starting her academic career, Elena worked as a criminal prosecutor in the District Attorney’s Office in Israel. Elena Kantorowicz-Reznichenko is the academic coordinator of the European Doctorate in Law and Economics as well as a member of the school’s Research Ethics Committee.
About Pieter Desmet
Pieter Desmet conducts quantitative empirical research on decision-making in a variety of legal domains, including the decision making of victims, perpetrators and judges, as well as behavioural ethics and managerial and consumer decision making and nudges. His research is interdisciplinary, award winning and has been published in leading journals in different domains. Pieter Desmet is also Co-director of the Research Programme Behavioural Approaches to Contract and Tort and writes periodical columns on behavioural insights & law for the Dutch Newspaper NRC Handelsblad.
- Assistant professor
- Associate professor
- More information
For more information, please contact Ronald de Groot, Communications Officer at Erasmus School of Law, via rdegroot@ese.eur.nl or +31 6 53 641 846.
