25 February 2026

As of 1 February 2026, Sandra Groeneveld has been appointed as the new PhD Dean of FGGA for the Institute of Public Administration. We are very pleased that she will take on this important role in supporting PhD candidates and safeguarding the quality of PhD trajectories within the institute.

As of the same date, the allocation of responsibilities among PhD Deans has been adjusted to align with institute affiliation. Under the revised structure:

• Prof.dr. Sandra Groeneveld, serves as PhD Dean for the Institute of Public Administration.
• Dr. Seda Gürkan serves as PhD Dean for the Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA).
• PhD candidates affiliated with Leiden University College (LUC) will, as a rule, fall under the PhD Dean of Public Administration.

This structure ensures a clear and institute-specific point of contact for all PhD candidates, while maintaining coordination at the faculty level.

In addition, the updated Job Description for PhD Deans has been formally adopted by the Faculty Board. The revised description clarifies the tasks, responsibilities, and governance structure of the PhD Deans across FGGA. The document will shortly be published on the Graduate School website.

For questions regarding the PhD Dean structure or the Graduate School, please contact the FGGA Graduate School Office via graduateschool@fgga.leidenuniv.nl.

Kind regards,

Koen Caminada
Chair of the Board, Graduate School FGGA