Since 2011 Raingard Esser is Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Groningen. Prior to coming to the Netherlands, she held academic positions in the UK (Bristol, LSE) and Germany (Cologne, Giessen Potsdam). She specializes in early modern migration and border history. After having served three years as Director of the Arts Faculty's Research Institute for the Study of Culture (ICOG), she is since 2019 Director of the Graduate School for the Humanities at UG. In this role, she is particulary interested in the development of joint and double doctorates with international partners.