For more than two decades, I’ve been interested in the interaction between large infrastructure projects that link economies. These infrastructures create socio-technological realities; and their utilisation requires regulatory frameworks on which all stakeholders agree. I’m particularly concerned with the functioning of such governance structures in the field of energy.

Through my studies and research, I’ve acquired a profound knowledge of EU governance, geopolitics, especially developments related to China and Russia, as well as global environmental debates.

I hold a PhD degree in international environmental law. My PhD thesis discussed the development of energy legislation in the EU, the United States, and China in relation to the evolution of the UN climate regime. I hold master’s degrees in international and EU law, Dutch constitutional and administrative law, as well as in Sinology. My academic journey unfolded in three countries – Germany, China, and the Netherlands. At Leipzig University, I studied Sinology as major and Russian studies and economics as minors. I spent one year at Renmin University, Beijing, to learn Mandarin. In the Netherlands, I went to law school at Leiden University and finished my Sinology degree.

My research links legal, environmental, and geopolitical aspects of European and global energy affairs. My language skills help me to consider often missed subtleness and detail in scholarly debates. I speak English, Dutch, Chinese, Russian, and German (native).