The academic team behind ENGAGE

Sandra Nóbrega, PhD Module Coordinator & Lecturer

Senior lecturer in Environmental Law at THUAS and coordinator of ENGAGE. Trained in law and environmental sciences in Brazil, she holds a PhD in Environmental Law and an Advanced Master's in Comparative Law from Maastricht University, where she previously taught and conducted research. Her work focuses on EU environmental and climate law, access to environmental information and public participation.

Jaime de Jesus Lima, LLM Lecturer

Lecturer of Commercial Law at THUAS and founder of Nabuco Advisory, a boutique practice guiding companies through cross-border regulatory matters in Brazil and Latin America. Jaime Lima has spent his career at the intersection of cross-border structures, regulatory frameworks, and the commodities and natural resource industries. He started as a litigator in Brazil, admitted to the São Paulo bar in 2005, then became a jurist in the Netherlands through an LLM in International and European Law at the VU Amsterdam. He worked at a global energy company in Rotterdam, into directing corporate transitions for multinational clients across 20 jurisdictions and as visiting professional at an international court in The Hague.

Bettina Schmiedler Guest Lecturer — Courts & Climate Governance

Bettina Schmiedler is Practice & Skills Instructor at THUAS in European and Private Law. Before joining the teaching team, she worked as a researcher at Impact Institute in Amsterdam. Her work involved developing methods to quantify environmental and social impacts of organisations to support a green and just transition, as well as supporting companies in preparing for evolving sustainability regulations. Bettina Schmiedler holds a Master of Science in “Law & Society” from Leiden University and was awarded the Leiden Thesis Prize for her research on the role of climate litigation in climate governance in the German automotive industry.

Aurélien Lorange Guest Lecturer — Energy Law

Aurélien Lorange is a Senior Lecturer in the International and European Law Programme at THUAS and the programme's Internship Coordinator, teaching EU Law, Energy Law, Internet Law, Law & Economics, and EU Financial Law. Before academia, he worked at the European Commission, the European Parliament, and SAS in public affairs and lobbying. He founded and ran the Employment Network Events (2010–2024) and founded The Hague Inter-University Law Debate Tournament, now run through the Corax Foundation he co-founded in 2021. He holds three Master's degrees (Stockholm, Tours, Aix-Marseille) and was appointed Chevalier de l'Ordre des Palmes académiques by France for his contributions to education and international cooperation.

Special lecture Dr. Mendeltje van Keulen Special Guest Lecture — EU Policymaking

Dr. Mendeltje van Keulen leads the research group “Changing Role of Europe” at THUAS, studying the European policies of organisations and professionals and the role of regions in EU advocacy. She holds a PhD in European Public Administration and a Master’s degree from the College of Europe in Bruges. She was a research fellow at the Clingendael Institute (1998–2009), registrar and head of EU staff at the Dutch House of Representatives (2009–2018), and has since been an EU researcher for the Policy and Operations Evaluation Department of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She is currently a member of the EU committee of the Dutch Advisory Council for International Affairs.