Dr. Sandra van Thiel (1968) studied psychology and educational sciences at the Catholic University Nijmegen. She worked for a local government for a short time, and then returned to academic life. From 1994 to 1998 she was a Ph.D. student with the research school ICS at Utrecht University (dissertation defended in 2000). From 1998-2012 she worked at the Department of Public Administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam as an assistant and later associate professor. From 2004 until 2009, she was executive director of the Netherlands Institute of Government. In 2012 she went to Radboud University to become a full professor, chair holder and later vice-dean for research. As of May 2020 she is a professor of public management at the Department of Public Administration and Sociology. Sandra is also editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Public Sector Management. Her research interests revolve around semi-autonomous executive agencies, which have been charged with the implementation of public policies but operate at arm's length of the government. Next to her academic work she is a frequent advisor to governments and executive agencies. In 2012 she coordinated a parliamentary inquiry into this topic for the Dutch Senate.