mr. dr. L.M. (Michelle) Bruijn

Dr. Michelle Bruijn is an Associate Professor at the Department of Legal Methods at the Faculty of Law, University of Groningen. Her research focuses on the protection of public order, safety, and health, with a particular emphasis on (drug-related) evictions, the right to housing, the fight against drug-related crime, and the regulation of narcotics (cannabis, alcohol, and tobacco). She is fascinated by the interaction between different areas of law (private law, criminal law, and administrative law). To study these interactions, she combines traditional doctrinal legal research with (quantitative) empirical methods and data science techniques.

Bruijn obtained her PhD in 2021 with distinction (cum laude) subsequently worked in the ERC-funded (interdisciplinary) research group EVICT, where she examined the significance and impact of international housing rights. In 2024, she received a Veni grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) for the PROHOUSE project (prohouseproject.org). In this project, she investigates the meaning and impact of the right to housing and property rights in eviction cases in the Netherlands.

Bruijn's research is strongly focused on bridging the gap between academic knowledge and societal issues. To influence policy and practice in the area of safe and healthy living, she works closely with NGOs, such as the 'Centrum voor Criminaliteitspreventie en Veiligheid' (CCV), municipalities, Public Health Departments (GGD), and health and research institutions such as the Trimbos Institute. Together with the CCV, she created a platform for mayors and legal practitioners to aid them in tackling drug-related crime while upholding human rights. She developed a monthly updated interactive case law database and an interactive document to guide mayoral decision-making. She received the Ben Feringa Impact Award for the societal impact of her research (2022).

In 2023, Bruijn was appointed as a member of the Young Academy Groningen (YAG), "a group of talented, enthusiastic, and ambitious early career researchers from various disciplines at the University of Groningen (UG) and the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG)". She is also network coordinator of the Scientific Network on Evictions and Housing Research (SNEHR),  a board member of the Dutch Lawyers Association (Nederlandse Juristen Vereniging), and a board member of the Department of Legal Methods and Legal History at the Faculty of Law.

Beyond her research, Bruijn is actively involved in education and is the founder and chair of the Groningen Centre for Legal Skills. This is a knowledge and expertise centre in the field of skills education. The center serves both students and teachers by offering workshops, knowledge clips, teach-the-teacher sessions, and supporting teaching materials.