Dr Machiko Kanetake appointed as new academic director of the Asser Institute

The Hague – 10 March 2025 - The T.M.C. Asser Instituut is delighted to announce that Dr Machiko Kanetake has been appointed as Chairperson of the Executive Board and Academic Director, starting on 1 July 2025. She will also become a professor at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Machiko brings a wealth of experience in public international law research and a distinguished record of academic leadership and institutional development. Machiko Kanetake and managing director Kasper Vrolijk will jointly form the executive board of the Asser Institute.

Machiko Kanetake (45) joins the Asser Institute from Utrecht University, where she is an Associate Professor of Public International Law and Director of the Master's Programme in Public International Law. Her groundbreaking research explores the intersection of international law, security, human rights, and technology, with a focus on sanctions, arms and dual-use export control at the international, EU, and national levels, and the regulation of surveillance technologies. She also examines how national and regional courts engage with the UN human rights treaty bodies. More broadly, she has been interested in the analysis of interfaces between national and international law.

Her current work centres on “research security” in Europe. While international collaboration drives scientific innovation, growing geopolitical tensions have raised concerns about the unintended transfer of critical knowledge and technology. In response, EU institutions are strengthening research security under the European Economic Security Strategy. In the Netherlands, there are initiatives on ‘knowledge security’ (‘kennisveiligheid’). Building on her expertise in dual-use regulation, Machiko analyses the normative tensions surrounding efforts to secure research within this evolving geopolitical landscape.

Machiko Kanetake states: "I look forward to working with Asser Institute and UvA colleagues, whose work has already inspired me in previous years. As the Asser Institute’s new Academic Director and a professor at UvA, I am excited to foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and mutual respect, and to strengthen the Institute’s commitment to innovation, inclusiveness, and global presence."

Wealth of expertise

Responses to Kanetake’s appointment are very positive. Liesbeth Lijnzaad, Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Asser Institute, says: “We are thrilled to welcome Machiko Kanetake to the Asser Institute. Machiko brings a wealth of expertise in shaping scientific agendas, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, empowering researchers, and engaging with stakeholders and the public - both nationally and internationally through her previous roles at Utrecht University and the University of Amsterdam.”

Christophe Paulussen, the Asser Institute’s Acting Chair of the Executive Board and Academic Director, is convinced that Kanetake’s vision and research expertise will be instrumental in shaping the next phase of the Institute. Paulussen states: “Machiko combines strong academic leadership with deep knowledge of international and European law. Moreover, her previous work on EU law, law and technology, business and human rights, and conflict studies aligns very well with the Asser Institute’s research agenda on public interests in international and European law. In fact, quite a few Asser Institute researchers have already worked with Machiko, for example in the field of arms transfers and international law and international governance of military artificial intelligence.”

Mireille van Eechoud, Dean of the Amsterdam Law School at the University of Amsterdam, stresses: “I am happy to see that Machiko has returned to the UvA family, where she started her career with the Amsterdam Center for International Law as a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer in 2011. I am convinced that Machiko’s appointment will continue to strengthen the bond between the University of Amsterdam and the Asser Institute. With her extensive research background and experience in educational design, Machiko is set to drive the Institute’s mission of advancing excellence in international and European law.”

Academic background

Machiko earned her PhD from Kyoto University (2011), an LLM from the London School of Economics (2007), and an MA in Law from the University of Sheffield (2004). She has been a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at the University of Amsterdam (2011-14). She has also been a Hauser Visiting Doctoral Researcher (2010-11) in the Global Fellows Programme at New York University (NYU) School of Law, a Visiting Researcher (2012) at the University of Sydney, a Visiting Fellow (2014-2015) at the Human Rights Program, Harvard Law School, and a Visiting Fellow (2015) at the Transnational Law Institute, Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London.

About the Asser Institute

Established as an inter-university institute in 1965, the Asser Institute is an independent research centre, affiliated with the University of Amsterdam. Located in The Hague - the international city of peace and justice - the T.M.C. Asser Instituut is a hub for critical and constructive reflection on international and European law. Surrounded by international institutions, diplomatic missions, and government ministries, the Institute has significant convening power, attracting legal experts from around the world. Committed to excellence in research and education, the Institute aims to contribute to the advancement of international and European public and private law by conducting independent legal research and actively sharing its knowledge.