The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) has appointed Gwendolyn Koops-Geuze, PhD candidate at Erasmus School of Law, as one of the twelve new "Faces of Science" for 2023. Annually, the KNAW selects twelve talented PhD candidates to inspire and engage others in science. This is the first time a researcher at Erasmus School of Law has been appointed as such.
As ‘Face of Science’, inspiring researchers give insight into their lives as young academics to communicate their research and generate interest in science in broader society. Appointed researchers become part of the Faces of Science network of the KNAW and receive tools to furtherance the development of science communications. The KNAW feels this is an important message to convey towards a new generation of (potential) researchers and others.
Koops-Geuze is honoured with the appointment: “As a young researcher, I am grateful and honoured to represent Erasmus School of Law at the KNAW in this manner. I hope to inspire others for science and, specifically: the advancement of science in relation to the effects of punishment in youth justice as we don’t know enough about this topic, despite it being an important subject. This appointment is an excellent opportunity to contribute to the dissemination of scientific knowledge in society.”
Currently, Koops-Geuze is conducting a mixed-methods study into the perceptions, experiences and effects of community sanctions in the Dutch youth justice system. As part of her PhD research, she recently published a quasi-experimental study (“A Quasi-Experimental Study on the Effects of Community versus Custodial Sanctions in Youth Justice”) on differences in reoffending rates among over 4400 convicted youth subject to either community sanctions or short-term imprisonment. The upcoming research of Koops-Geuze focuses on the precise substance and effects of community sanctions from the perspectives of youth subject to these. Hereby, youth sentenced to community sanctions were followed in a longitudinal, pre-post study design and were interviewed before, just after and 6 months after completing the sanction. The findings of this research are expected to be published this Fall.
Click here for the press release by the KNAW (in Dutch).
- PhD student