Michiel is lecturer of private international law and co-director of the Centre for Private International Law and Transnational Governance. Previously, he lectured at Maastricht University, the Netherlands and KU Leuven. He also was a postdoctoral fellow of the KU Leuven Research Fund. He held visitinc positions at Singapore Management University (2023) and KU Leuven (2024).

He has published extensively on various topics relating to the regional and international harmonisation of private international law and has worked on an array of projects relating to the reform of private international law in the European Union. His current work focuses on the intersection between the governance of Artificial Intelligence and private international law, and the role of private international law in transnational corporate accountability for human rights infringements. 

Michiel will be contributing the entry on AI and private international law to the next edition of the Encyclopedia of Private International Law. 

His work on the scope of jurisdiction in matters relating to a contract in the Brussels Ia Regulation was cited by Advocate General Szpunar in Case C-265/21 AB, AB-CD v Z EF. Further, his work was cited in the 2022 edition of Dicey, Morris & Collins on the Conflict of Laws.