Rianne LetschertMinister of Education, Culture and Science
Born on 13 September 1976 in Doetinchem, married, 2 children and 2 stepchildren
Party: Democrats ’66 (D66)
Good education and groundbreaking research are vital for a well-functioning society. Culture and the arts are unifying forces, and offer scope for engagement, imagination and critical thinking. Independent media are indispensable to our democracy. I look forward to investing in these positive forces, alongside students, teachers, journalists, creatives and researchers. Together, we’ll keep the Netherlands strong, now and in the future.
Secondary vocational education (mbo)
Higher education
Teacher training
Student finance and DUO (education executive agency)
International matters
Research and science policy
Culture (incl. central government funds for culture)
Heritage
Archives
Media (incl. the Media Authority) and independent journalism
Information and Heritage Inspectorate, Cultural Heritage Agency, National Archives
Inspectorate of Education
23 February 2026
Appointed Minister of Education, Culture and Science in the Jetten government
November 2021 – 23 February 2026
President of the Executive Board and professor at Maastricht University
September 2016 – February 2022
Rector Magnificus and professor at Maastricht University
January 2012 – September 2016
Professor of victimology and international law at Tilburg University
May 2009 – June 2016
Deputy Director/Director of the International Victimology Institute Tilburg (INTERVICT)
March 2000 – December 2005
Researcher at T.M.C. Asser Instituut, The Hague
April 2000 – May 2005
Lecturer and researcher, Tilburg University (PhD programme)
1995 – 2000
LLB/LLM in International Law, Tilburg University and University of Montpellier
1995
Dutch law (foundation year), University of Amsterdam
1994
Completed secondary education, Jan van Brabant College, Helmond
10 December 2025 – 3 February 2026 Informateur appointed to mediate in the formation of the Jetten government
October 2020 – 23 February 2026
Member and (from March 2023) chair of the National Growth Fund advisory committee
September 2019 – 23 February 2026
Member of the supervisory board, Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven
2017 – 23 February 2026
Board member, REDRESS (NGO), The Hague
2019 – 23 February 2026
Member of the supervisory board, Victim Support Fund, The Hague
2019 – 2021
Member of the supervisory board, Bonnefanten Museum, Maastricht
2023 – 2024
Chair of the steering board, Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA)
January 2020 – September 2023
Chair of the supervisory committee, Netherlands Institute for Social Research
April 2021 – March 2023
Member of the Cammaert Committee established to study the non-lethal assistance (NLA) programme implemented in Syria
September 2019 – January 2022
Chair of the Committee on Modernisation of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Ministry of Justice and Security
2018 Formateur appointed to oversee the formation of the Maastricht municipal executive
June 2017 – January 2023
Member of the Life Sentence Prisoners Advisory Board, Ministry of Justice and Security
2017 – present
Member of the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities, Haarlem
2017 – present
Member of Academia Europaea, Brussels
2015
Member of the Identification Committee for the European Commission Scientific Advice Mechanism, Brussels
2014 – 2016
Expert consultant, Special Tribunal for Lebanon
2012 – 2016
Member and (from 2015) chair of the Young Academy of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW)
January 2013 – July 2018
Member of the supervisory board, Victim Support Netherlands, Utrecht
2013 – 2014
Visiting professor, University of Barcelona
April 2010 – August 2010
Visting research fellow, Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
2010 –present
Lifelong fellow of Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
