Dr. Brianne McGonigle Leyh is an Associate Professor with the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM) and Montaigne Centre on Rule of Law and Administration of Justice at Utrecht University’s School of Law. Her specializations include human rights law, international criminal law, transitional justice, victims’ rights, and documentation and accountability for serious human rights violations. She is Director of Masters Education of the Law School, a Senior Teaching Fellow leading an interdisciplinary education project on Open Source Investigations, and on the editorial board of the Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights. Previously, she was a member of the core team of the interdisciplinary research platform Contesting Governance. In 2020, together with Dr. Tessa Diphoorn from Cultural Anthropology, she launched a Podcast 'Travelling Concepts on Air' to address to issues of interdisciplinarity in scholarship and teaching.

In addition to her academic work, she is a Senior Peace Fellow with the Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) and previously sat on the advisory boards of the Netherlands Helsinki Committee and Pro Bono Connect. She received her Bachelors degree (BA) from Boston University, graduating magna cum laude with a self-crafted major in the study of international law and human rights, her Law degree (JD) from American University’s Washington College of Law, graduating cum laude, and her Masters (MA) in International Affairs from American University’s School of International Service.  In 2011 she obtained her PhD from Utrecht University’s Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM) where she wrote her award-winning dissertation on victim participation in international criminal proceedings.