Quinten DeGroote

Quinten DeGroote is a PhD researcher at Ghent University since December 2025, where he is preparing a doctoral thesis under the supervision of Prof. dr. Tom Ruys. His research interests and expertise mainly revolve around international humanitarian law, with a particular emphasis on its application to emerging technologies and naval warfare.

Quinten holds a Master of Laws degree, magna cum laude, from KU Leuven (2024). As part of his studies in Leuven, he obtained the Certificate in Transnational Law (2023) through an exchange semester at the University of Geneva. More recently, Quinten completed the Master of Advanced Studies (LL.M.) in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights at the Geneva Academy (2025), where he graduated summa cum laude and ranked first in his cohort. His thesis, titled “Preparing Europe for Cyber Warfare: Applying Peacetime International Humanitarian Law to the European Union’s Readiness 2030 Initiative”, received the maximum grade and was nominated for the Best LL.M. Paper Prize.

Alongside his academic training, Quinten has gained practical experience in the application of international law through several internships. He previously worked in the Arms Control and Disarmament cluster of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (2024), participating in United Nations negotiations and addressing legal issues arising under international arms control and disarmament treaties. In 2025, he completed an internship with the Belgian Red Cross in the International Humanitarian Law Department, where he contributed to exchanges with governmental actors on the implementation of international humanitarian law and supported the organisation’s dissemination efforts.