dr. Marleen Weulen Kranenbarg

My teaching and research in criminology mainly focuses on cybercrime and related topics.

I am an assistant professor in Criminology at the Department of Criminology of the Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam. In 2018 I completed my dissertation research entitled: ‘Cyber offenders versus traditional offenders: an empirical comparison’ at the NSCR (Netherlands Institute for the study of Crime and Law Enforcement). My current research focuses mainly on four themes around cybercrime offending and prevention: 1. differences with traditional crime; 2. the role of online and offline peers; 3. the role of (IT) education; and 4. ethical hacking and positive use of IT skills. For this fourth research line I received a prestigious personal VENI grant from NWO (Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research) for a 5-year research project entitled ‘Choosing the good side: life-course, cultural, and situational factors that lead to non-criminal hacking.’

I published two text books about Cybercrime (both now a second edition). One in Dutch "Basisboek Cybercriminaliteit" and one in English "Essentials in Cybercrime". See this page of the publisher: Publisher webpage

Short information about main projects:

- VENI: Audio interview about my VENI-research (in Dutch):

CCV Secondant interview: ETHISCHE HACKERS HEBBEN EEN STERKE MORAAL

- Podcast episode about my VENI-research (in English):

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0LBiqH6Y5uSkImd0m75fFQ?si=OKbBEgQ0TveNWK7-RxyneA

 - UK Home Office OTTO project Understanding cybercriminal behaviour among young people.

Dutch Summary

- Dissertation:

Easy to read pieces about my dissertation research:

Column CEP (Confederation of European Probation)

Column DCypher English

Column DCypher Dutch

NSCR nieuwsbrief interview

• Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Amsterdam | lid facultaire 'AI in het onderwijs' en 'De toekomst van de scriptie' werkgroepen | 2024-09-01 - present
• Springer Nature | Londen | Editorial Board European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research | 2026-02-05 - present
• Politie (THTC) | Driebergen | Member of the Cyber Offender Prevention: Academia (ACOP) network | 2023-04-01 - present
• Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Amsterdam | lid Commissie Ethiek Rechtswetenschappelijk en Criminologie Onderzoek (CERCO) | 2023-02-01 - 2029-02-01
• HvA | Amsterdam | onderzoek P&W project Een structureel beter begrip van cybercriminaliteit | 2022-11-01 - present
• Universiteit Utrecht | Utrecht | Co-PI onderzoek P&W project ACOP Unit@! Online opvoeding en individuele verschillen | 2025-10-01 - 2026-10-01
• Springer | Zwitserland | Editorial Board Book Series "Crime and Justice in Digital Society" | 2019-01-01 - present
• NvC | Leiden | voorzitten NvC divisie Cybercrime | 2022-10-01 - present
• ESC | Lausanne | Board member ESC working group Cybercrime | 2018-01-01 - present
• IIRCC | East Lansing | Steering committee | 2018-01-01 - present
• Nederlands Studiecentrum Criminaliteit en Rechtshandhaving | Amsterdam | NSCR Alab-fellow + lid cybercluster | 2018-01-01 - present

Ancillary activities are updated daily