Education
Van der Heijden received his Master of Laws degree (1974) from the University of Amsterdam, and his Doctor of Philosophy degree (1984) from Leiden University, the Netherlands.
Van der Heijden received his Master of Laws degree (1974) from the University of Amsterdam, and his Doctor of Philosophy degree (1984) from Leiden University, the Netherlands.
From February 2007 up to 2013 he was rector magnificus and president of the same university. His dissertation was entitled Fair trial in labour law (Kluwer, 1984). Van der Heijden has been active as an academic, executive, and judge/arbitrator.
Soon after obtaining his Doctor of Philosophy degree, he became a judge at the Amsterdam District Court of Law.
In 1990, he was appointed professor of labour law at the University of Amsterdam, where he became Rector in 2002. In 2007, he returned to Leiden University, where he was appointed President and Rector of the university.
In February 2013 Van der Heijden was succeeded by Carel Stolker. Van der Heijden’s academic publications focus on fundamentals of labour law, industrial relations, corporate governance, and public government.
His publications appeared in both Dutch and international outlets.
(Oxford University Press, 2001). From 1995 to 2001, Van der Heijden chaired the Dutch delegation at the International Labour Conference (International Language Center) of the (International Labor Organization) in Geneva. Currently, he is president of the Governing Body Committee on Freedom of Association of the International Labor Organization.
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.