Bio
Victoria Wozniak-Cole is a PhD researcher (fourth year) at the Leuven Institute of Criminology at KU Leuven, Belgium, who is a driven multilingual Victimologist and Criminologist. She has an interdisciplinary background, combining social sciences and law with a strong focus on victims' rights and needs. Next to her studies, Victoria has previously worked at the International Victimology Institute Tilburg in the Netherlands. She has demonstrated experience in qualitative research methodologies and communicating research to diverse stakeholders, including science communication.
Victoria's PhD project examines the legal, relational, family, and community context of victims of human trafficking to further the understanding of recovery and justice. Her work is intrinsically interdisciplinary in nature, spanning criminology, victimology, feminist studies, psychology, sociology, and law. Several of her research papers are being presented regularly at top conferences in her field. She is also involved in supporting education within the Criminology Master at KU Leuven, Belgium.
In addition, she has participated in various international and national scientific projects (e.g., Erasmus+, COST Action) and is a member of multiple academic and professional networks. She also has experience assuming a wide range of roles, currently as a Postgraduate Representative of the Victimology Working Group of the European Society of Criminology, Communication Officer of the European Network of Qualitative Inquiry, and Member of the Prize Committee of the International Association for the Study of Organized Crime.