Dr. Rachel Dijkstra

Biography

Rachel Dijkstra completed her law degree with honors at Utrecht Law College and holds a Legal Research Master's from Utrecht University. She began her career at Utrecht University as a junior researcher and junior lecturer in the Department of Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, and Legal Theory. Her work included participation in a European research collaboration focused on improving the quality of justice administration through qualitative research methods. Rachel was recognized as the 'teacher talent of the year' by the Law department. She pursued her PhD at Tilburg University, employing interdisciplinary research methods at Tilburg’s victimology institute, INTERVICT. Her dissertation examines the experiences of patients, their families, and professionals involved in healthcare incidents. While completing her dissertation, she was involved in the THRIVE institute's valorization program where she collaborated with researchers on projects related to health services research at the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (Nivel). Following her dissertation, she transitioned to the Molengraaff Institute for Private Law at Utrecht University as a lecturer, where she continues to teach and explore her academic interests at the intersection of private law and victimology. Additionally, Rachel serves as an editorial member for the journal 'Recht der Werkelijkheid'.

Research Interests