Lena Riemer holds a German state exam in law, a masters degree in law from Yale University and a Ph.D. in international law from the Freie Universität Berlin, where she worked as a research and teaching assistant. After her Ph.D., she worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Nuremberg, Germany. Currently, she is a visiting researcher at the policy think tank Stiftung Wissenschaft and Politik in Brussels.