Elisabeth (Lies) Wesseling is an associate professor in the Department of Literature and Art. She is Director of the Centre for Gender and Diversity of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Her research is on the cultural construction of childhood in fiction and science. Her current projects focus on narrative models for forging kinship in global adoption.

She has been affiliated as an associate professor to the Department of Literature and Art, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences since 2004.  She obtained MA degrees in English Language and Literature (cum laude) and Comparative Literature (cum laude) from Utrecht University, and she holds a PhD degree in Comparative Literature from Utrecht University (cum laude). She has built up extensive experience in interdisciplinary teaching and research over the years, broadening her literary interests in the directions of cultural analysis and cultural history.

She has occupied various administrative positions over the past years, such as Chair of the curriculum committee of the BA Arts and Culture, Chair of the Department of Literature and Art, Chair of the Research Department Arts, Media, Culture, Coordinator of the Bachelor Specialization Literature, Art, Culture, Coordinator of the Teacher Training Program of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Project Leader of ForUM: Projects for Educational Innovation, Project Leader of TAC: Transatlantic Cooperation on Problem Based Learning in the Humanities and coordinator of the international research network PLACIM: Platform for a Cultural History of Children's Media.

Elisabeth Wesseling is the director of the Centre for Gender and Diversity, a research initiative of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.