Joanna van der Merwe is a Fellow with the Defense Tech Initiative at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA).

Joanna is a Senior Staff Officer in the Royal Netherlands Army and holds an MA in International Relations and Global Conflict in the Modern Era from Leiden University.

She began her work for the Dutch army exploring Big Data and its impact on the battlefield. In collaboration with the Land Warfare Centre, she wrote her master's thesis focusing on Artificial Intelligence and the future of relative combat power. Prior to joining the Dutch army, she was the Manager of Innovation Strategy and Policy and Privacy and Protection Lead at Leiden University.

Her previous work includes early warning systems for mass atrocities at the Signal Program on Human Security and Technology at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, research into the intersection of digital and physical security in conflict zones, data responsibility, and acting as an advisor to various military, humanitarian, and governmental bodies.