Els De Busser is an assistant professor Cyber Security Governance at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs and Educational Director of the Cyber Security Academy, both at Leiden University, the Netherlands. She is a researcher in the The Hague Program for Cyber Norms and a lecturer in the Bachelor in Safety and Security Studies, Master Crisis and Security Management and Executive Master Cyber Security, Leiden University.

Her research is focused on cyber security, data protection, European and international cooperation and information exchange in criminal matters especially in the transatlantic relationship, accompanied by a list of publications. She is a frequent speaker at international events and guest lecturer on these topics.

She is Deputy Secretary-General of the International Association of Penal Law (AIDP) and a member of the Standing Committee of Experts on International Immigration, Refugee and Criminal Law (Meijers Committee).

Her book "Data Protection in EU and US Criminal Cooperation" (Maklu, 2009) was awarded the 2014 Siracusa Prize for Young Penalists by the Association Internationale de Droit Pénal (AIDP) and the Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights.