Renske Keizer's primary research interests are fatherhood and parenthood in an internationally comparative perspective, and the dynamics of partner relationships. Her research straddles sociology, demography, psychology and pedagogy. Central to her work is the application of the theory-based life course approach to the behaviour and well-being of individuals and (extended) families. 

As a professor by special appointment, Keizer will be examining how fathers function and which specific roles they play in various types of families (traditional families, single-parent families, families with joint parenting arrangements, and stepfamilies). Keizer will also be setting up an international research project into fatherhood with the aim of studying the influence of the institutional and cultural context on linkages between fatherhood and developmental and life outcomes of children and families. Keizer hopes that, as a professor by special appointment, she will be able to provide an important impetus to scientific research into fatherhood and the social debate surrounding fatherhood.

Keizer has worked in the Sociology department at Erasmus University Rotterdam since 2010. She is also a board member of the Dutch Sociology Association. Keizer has received various research awards and grants, including a Veni grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). Keizer has published widely in academic journals, including the Journal of Marriage and Family, the Journal of Family Psychology, Population and Developmental Review, Population Studies, European Sociological Review and the European Journal of Public Health.

About the Father Knowledge Centre Foundation

The aim of the Father Knowledge Centre Foundation is to promote and provide information and knowledge for supporting and facilitating engaged fatherhood, joint parenthood and father-inclusive policy, while emphasising the importance to children of both parents being actively engaged in the children's upbringing and education.