Miranda Sentse is Associate Professor at the Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology.
After graduating in pedagogy and a research master Behavioral Sciences at Radboud University (Cum Laude), she received her PhD in 2010 (Cum Laude) within the Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS) at the University of Groningen. During her PhD she was also visiting scholar at the University of New Orleans for three months to work with prof. Robert Laird and prof. Paul Frick. Afterwards she conducted research as a postdoc at the University Medical Center Groningen and the University of Turku in Finland. In between her PhD and postdoc projects she also worked as a psychologist at Accare, the University Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Research
Miranda conducts interdisciplinary research that focuses on interactions between the individual and the social network to explain problem behaviors. By applying advanced analytical techniques including longitudinal social network analysis, multilevel analysis, and growth curve modelling, she examines the way in which group norms and one’s social status in the group are related to individual behavior.
She also applies this research to the context of prison, among others via a pilot social network study that she coordinated within the larger Life in Custody (LIC) study, a national survey study into the work climate of prison employees and living climate of detainees. Within the LIC study, Miranda is involved as senior researcher and supervisor and copromotor of PhD students.
Miranda is also member of the Erasmus Urban Youth Lab in the project Bridging the gap between science and practice: vulnerable youth in major cities. In this project she was involved as supervisor of Margriet Lenkens and copromotor of Lois Schenk, both of whom have successfully defended their PhD thesis.
Teaching
Miranda coordinates courses in the Criminology bachelor’s program, the master Criminology and Security Policy, and the Honours College Law. She also supervises Bachelor, Master, and PhD students.
Management
Miranda is department manager and member of the management team of the Criminology department. In addition, she is Chair of the Committee Ethics and Data of Leiden Law School. For three years she was also coordinator of the decentralized selection admission procedure for the bachelor criminology.
