Dr. Anne de Graaf is the inaugural Chief Diversity Officer of the UvA, and served from November 2017-September 2021, and then as Interim Chief Diversity Officer until February 2022. For an overview of the cultural change she helped realize, please go here. Before serving as Chief Diversity Officer for the UvA, she was Head of Studies for Academic Core and Outreach Coordinator at AUC. She has taught a variety of courses and now teaches International Relations Theory and Practice; Human Rights and Human Security; and Peace Lab. She holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of St Andrews, Scotland.

Her research focuses on marginalized groups, as well as peace and conflict studies, and explores the role of voice—specifically young people’s—as a means of claiming agency in peace-building and conflict. She is an award-winning author of over 80 books, with 5 million sold worldwide. Her teen and adult novels (fiction based on fact) explore themes such as child soldiers and AIDS survival. She has traveled extensively to post-conflict areas throughout sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Europe, interviewing for her books and articles. She has also lectured and guest taught at universities in the Netherlands, South Africa and the U.S., including West Point Military Academy and her alma mater, Stanford University.