Vermeersch, Elise

Biography

Ms. Vermeersch graduated in law, and holds a double master degree in New Technologies Law (Lille University, France/Murcia University, Spain) and received a diploma in Intellectual Property Law (Lille University, France). She worked within the Corporate Economic Security Direction of a pharmaceutical company where she carried out research and risk analysis related to cybercrime and cyber-counterfeiting of medicines. She also participated in the organisation of awareness raising campaigns and conferences on these issues. Ms. Vermeersch is currently working as a visiting fellow at the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS). She is specifically involved in the ‘Development of tools to counter illegal management and trade of waste’ (DOTCOM waste) project, which aims at increasing the capabilities of law enforcement agencies, customs and port authorities, environmental agencies, and prosecutors to fight cross-border waste crime more cost effectively. Within this framework, she will actively contribute to data collection, the identification and validation of good practices, the development of a training toolkit including training materials and practical operational tools, and the organization of meetings and trainings. She is also working on the project Towards a World Forum on Raw Materials (FORAM) aimed at developing and setting up an EU-based platform of international experts and stakeholders that will advance the idea of a World Forum on Raw Materials and enhance the international cooperation on raw material policies and investments. Ms. Vermeersch is also working as a fellow at the United Nations Inter-regional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI). She is specifically involved in numerous applied research programmes related to environmental crime, supply chain security, illegal trafficking of goods and products, human trafficking, organised crime, rehabilitation and reintegration of VEOs, cybercrime and data protection. Ms. Vermeersch previously contributed to the ‘Countering WEEE Illegal Trade’ (CWIT) project, a research project on international illegal trafficking of hazardous and electronic waste.

Research Interest

Environmental Crime, Human Rights, Organized Crime