Benjamin van Rooij leaves VVI

Dr. Benjamin van Rooij is leaving VVI following his appointment at the University of Amsterdam as full professor of Chinese law and regulation at the beginning of the academic year 2009/2010. Benjamin, who has been working for the VVI since June 2000 studied Law and Chinese languages and literature in Leiden. He first worked at VVI as a research assistant for the Leiden-Beijing Legal Transformation project. In 2002 he became PhD-fellow and on 14 December 2006 he successfully defended his PhD-thesis entitled RegulatingLand and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance and Enforcement. He has taught Chinese law to students of both faculties of law and humanities, and published extensively about environmental law, land law and law enforcement in China. He has co-supervised with Jan Michiel Otto four Chinese PhD students. From September 2009 until January 2010, he is on research leave in Namibia where his partner, dr. Janine Ubink is carrying out socio-legal filed research on customary law and legal empowerment, in an IDLO research project sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. Prof. Van Rooij will continue to work in collaboration with VVI (Dr Adriaan Bedner) in a WOTRO-project comparing environmental law enforcement in China and Indonesia. In 2010 Ms Li Ling will defend her PhD thesis on corruption in Chinese courts in Leiden, with Professors Otto and Van Rooij as joint promotores. Benjamin, who has been working for the VVI since June 2000 studied Law and Chinese languages and literature in Leiden. He first worked at VVI as a research assistant for the Leiden-Beijing Legal Transformation project. In 2002 he became PhD-fellow and on 14 December 2006 he successfully defended his PhD-thesis entitled RegulatingLand and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance and Enforcement. He has taught Chinese law to students of both faculties of law and humanities, and published extensively about environmental law, land law and law enforcement in China. He has co-supervised with Jan Michiel Otto four Chinese PhD students. From September 2009 until January 2010, he is on research leave in Namibia where his partner, dr. Janine Ubink is carrying out socio-legal filed research on customary law and legal empowerment, in an IDLO research project sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. Prof. Van Rooij will continue to work in collaboration with VVI (Dr Adriaan Bedner) in a WOTRO-project comparing environmental law enforcement in China and Indonesia. In 2010 Ms Li Ling will defend her PhD thesis on corruption in Chinese courts in Leiden, with Professors Otto and Van Rooij as joint promotores.