Cathérine Van de Graaf
Dr. Cathérine Van de Graaf is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Law, Families and Diversity and the Human Rights Centre at Ghent University. Prior to joining Ghent University, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the Academy for European Human Rights Protection at the University of Cologne. Following a two-year position under the supervision of former ECtHR Vice-President Professor Angelika Nußberger, she obtained a grant from the Volkswagen Foundation for the joint project “Who is the Court for? Bringing the Human back into Human Rights Research”. Her research focuses on discrimination complaints before the European Court of Human Rights.
As a guest professor, Dr. Van de Graaf has taught courses including Capita Selecta of International Human Rights Law and Multiculturaliteit en Recht (Multiculturalism and Law). She has also lectured on the European Court of Human Rights and co-teaches The European Convention on Human Rights: Theory and Practice with Professor Eva Brems and Discriminatierecht (Anti-Discrimination Law) with Professor Pieter Cannoot. In addition, she is an editor at Strasbourg Observers, EHRC Updates and Tijd(schrift) voor Mensenrechten, regularly contributes third-party interventions before the Court, and co-founded the Strasbourg Observers Podcast with Professor Eva Brems in 2025.
Dr. Van de Graaf holds a PhD from Ghent University on procedural justice theory, perceived discrimination and Islamophobia, an LL.M. in International Human Rights Law and Humanitarian Law from Lund University and the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, and a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Law from the University of Antwerp.
Keywords:
European Court of Human Rights, Discrimination, Human Rights and Sports, National Equality Bodies, Procedural Justice