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Below is a list of our current staff in the Law School. It details their research expertise and the areas of law in which they would welcome applications from prospective Master of Jurisprudence (MJur) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) candidates. Their staff profiles provide their contact details.

To improve the chances of acceptance onto a research degree at Durham Law School, it is strongly encouraged that prospective applicants contact relevant academics directly to discuss their research proposals.

Staff Member Areas for Research Supervision
Mike Adcock

Intellectual property rights (IPRs) and biotechnology

IPRs and access to medicines

Protection of plant genetic resources

IPRs and bioethics

Intellectual property rights and artificial intelligence

Adebola Adeyemi

Sustainable Development

Sustainable Finance

Information Technology (with a focus on software development & protection, Fintech Regulation, and Digital Assets)

Adefolake Adeyeye

Anti-corruption law

Business and human rights

Corporate law and governance

Corporate Social Responsibility

Greg Allan

Equity and Trusts

Property Law 

Company Law

Legal History

Daniel Attenborough

UK/US corporate law

Corporate governance

Financial markets regulation

 
Smith Azubuike

Renewable Energy Law and Sustainability

Risk Allocation in the Energy Industry

Energy Justice

The Just Energy Transition in the Global South

Chris Bevan

Property Law

Land Law

Housing and Homelessness Law & Policy

Family Law

Equity & Trusts

Social Welfare Law & Policy

The Legal Profession, Barristers & the Bar

Deryck Beyleveld

Foundations of Human Rights

Moral Theory especially Kantian and Gewirthian Theory

Theories of Punishment

Legal Theory

Moral Issues Arising in Law

Bioethics (including Medical Ethics)

Biolaw

Jessie Blackbourn

Preventive counter-terrorism measures

Closed material procedures

Criminal terrorism offences

Terrorism sentencing

Counter-extremism and counter-radicalisation

Counter-terrorism and human rights

Counter-terrorism review and accountability

Michael Bohlander

Comparative Criminal Law

International Criminal Justice

SETI and human law

Kim Bouwer

Climate change law

Environmental law

Tort law

Hannah Bows

Criminal law

Violence against women

Crimes by/against older adults

Thom Brooks

Citizenship

Constitutional Law

Criminal Law

History of Political & Legal Philosophy (esp British or German Idealism)

Immigration

Law & Economics

Political & Legal Philosophy

Public Policy

Punishment & Sentencing

Emma Cave

Medical law especially:

Treatment of children

Informed consent

Compulsion

 
Demet Caltekin

Anti-militarism

Critical Military Studies

Socio-legal Studies

Gender and Criminal Law

Karam Chadha

Consent

Ethics

Political Philosophy

Legal Theory

Special/specific/particular Jurisprudence 

Ge Chen

Free speech in international and comparative perspectives

Global constitutionalism and its development in China

International copyright law issues related to free speech

Lei Chen

Property Law

Comparative Contract Law

International Commercial Arbitration

International Investment Arbitration

Chinese and Comparative Private Law

Anca Chirita 

Competition Law

The wider goals of competition policy e.g. consumer wellbeing and sustainability

Restraints of trade e.g. algorithmic cartels, resale price maintenance etc.

Abuse of a dominant position e.g. the monopolisation of online platforms (GAFAM), monopolistic abuse of data sharing or combination, excessive or predatory pricing etc.

Mergers e.g. public interest or data-driven mergers

State aid e.g. competition and inequality through unfair tax competition

Gemma Davies

Transnational Criminal Law with a particular interest in:

Cross-border cooperation in criminal matters;

Extradition;

The application of human rights to cross-border police investigations;

European criminal law (including the consequences of Brexit);

Criminal justice cooperation between the UK and Ireland;

Transnational responses to cybercrime (including policing of the darkweb);

Cross-border access to electronic evidence for policing purposes;

The application of extra-territorial criminal jurisdiction (including domestic prosecution for international crimes)

Benedict Douglas

Human dignity

The moral basis of human rights.

The place of choice, duty and / or community in the law

The moral basis of the UK constitution

Human rights in the UK constitution

Phenomenology and law

Land access rights

Ming Du

International trade law (WTO and regional trade agreements)

International Investment Law 

China and International Law 

Law and society in China 

Comparative corporate law and capital market regulations

Can Eken

International commercial arbitration

Investment law

Third-party funding

Alternative dispute resolution methods

Commercial mediation

Online dispute resolution

Helen Fenwick

Protection for private information under the tort of misuse of private information and/or the UK GDPR/DPA 2018; comparisons with measures in other jurisdictions

Same sex marriage and/or same-sex registered partnerships; Article 8 ECHR

The Online Safety Bill in UK

Criminal offences applicable to online expression (including images, sounds etc)

Counter-terrorism measures, especially preventive measures – measures intended to prevent terrorist attacks such as TPIMs (UK) or their equivalents

Aspects of freedom of expression, especially in relation to Article 10 ECHR; comparisons with other jurisdictions

A British Bill of Rights?

Reform of the Human Rights Act?

Hate speech, especially online

Eleni Frantziou

The application of human rights in disputes between private parties

Comparative regionalism

European human rights law, including the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

The right to private and family life in the digital age

The freedom of expression in the digital age

 
Samantha Halliday

Comparative law (criminal, public or medical law focussed)

Medical law

Health law

especially:

Reproductive justice

Foetal protection

Abortion

Embryo research

Euthanasia

Non-treatment decisions

Advance decisions

Mental capacity

Andy Hayward

Legal Regulation of Adult Relationships (Marriage, Civil Partnership and Cohabitation)

Divorce, Dissolution, and the Division of Assets 

Family Property and Trusts of the Family Home

LGBTQ+ Family Law

Comparative Family Law

Human Rights and Family Law

Legal History relating to Families

Johanna Jacques

Trusts Law

Property Theory

Continental Legal Philosophy

Electronic Money and Cryptoassets

Henry Jones

International law

Law of the Sea

Law and Colonialism

Legal History

Law and Literature

Critical approaches to property law

International Legal Theory

Law and Marxism

Legal Geography

Dimitrios Kagiaros

European Convention on Human Rights

Freedom of Expression in the ECHR context

Socio-economic and cultural rights

Austerity policies and human rights

David Lawrence

Bioethics/ medical Ethics and law

Emerging Biotechnology law and ethics

Neuroethics/ neuroscience/ neurotechnology law

Moral Status

Personhood

Animal Rights

AI ethics and law

Van Anh Le

Patents

Copyrights

IP public policies

Legal history of IP rights

Zhiyu Li

Law and technology

Law and courts

Chinese courts and judges

Empirical legal studies

Jieying Liang

Private International Law (Conflict of Laws)

Cross-border Commercial Litigation

The Resolution of Cross-border Commercial Disputes in Chinese Courts

China’s role in the International Legal Order

Dafni Lima

Family law, especially:

Legal Regulation of Adult Relationships (Marriage, Civil Partnership and Cohabitation)

Parent-child relations, Parenthood, Parental Responsibility

Comparative Family Law

Legal Regulation of LGBTQ+ family relationships

Assisted Reproduction (e.g. surrogacy)

Family Law and Human Rights (e.g. Article 8 EHCR)

William Lucy

Adjudication and legal reasoning

Legal philosophy

Philosophy of private law

The normative standing of access to justice

Technological Management

 
Federico Lupo-Pasini

Financial law

Financial regulation

International financial and monetary law

Clara Martins Pereira

Financial law and regulation

Financial technology / FinTech

Sustainable finance

Corporate law and corporate governance

Roger Masterman

UK Constitutional Law and Reform

Bills of Rights (esp the Human Rights Act)

Judicial Power/Separation of Powers

Relationships between UK and international law

UK apex judges

 
Deirdre McCann

UK Employment Law 

EU Employment Law

International Employment Law

Clare McGlynn

Legal regulation of pornography

Image-based sexual abuse

Reforming sexual offences laws

Cyberflashing

Justice and violence against women and girls

Aileen McHarg

Devolution and the UK’s territorial constitution

UK/Scottish constitutional law

English/Scottish administrative law

Energy governance

Sustainable energy regulation

Emma Milne

Women as offenders

Infanticide and infant killing

Foetal harm and killing

Feminist legal theory

Criminal justice and sex/gender

Motherhood/mothering and the law

Petra Minnerop

Public International Law

International Environmental Law

International Law on Climate Change

Intersection of Climate Law and Climate Science

Jonathan Mukwiri

Regulation of takeovers

Corporate governance

Directors’ duties

Minority shareholder protection

Corporate social responsibility

Päivi ​Neuvonen

European Union Law  

European Human Rights Law (esp. anti-discrimination/equality) 

Legal Theory and Philosophy (esp. Critical Legal Theory) 

Regional Integration Organisations  

Matthew Nicholson

International law, with a particular focus on theoretical approaches (in particular, critical perspectives)

Elizabeth O'Loughlin

Comparative Constitutional Law

UK Administrative Law

Empirical Methods in Public Law

Catherine O'Rourke

International law

Gender and women’s rights

CEDAW

Armed conflict

Transitional justice

Feminist approaches to international law

Shaun Pattinson

Medical law

Health law

Biolaw

Medical ethics

Bioethics

Philosophy of human rights

Camilla Pickles

Obstetric violence and abuse in childbirth

Discrimination in healthcare

Reproductive rights and justice

Anashri Pillay

Economic and social rights 

International human rights law,

Adjudication of rights

Judicial appointment processes

Comparative human rights law 

Chris Riley

Company/corporate law

Corporate governance

Multinational enterprises and the law

Social enterprises and not-for-profits

Rozemarijn Roland Holst

Public International Law

Law of the Sea

International Environmental Law (incl. critical and interdisciplinary approaches)

New technologies and the environment

North Sea law and policy

Global commons and community interests

International dispute settlement

Chloe Romanis

Abortion 

Assisted Reproduction

Feminist Legal Theory

Gender and Law 

Healthcare Law

Medical Ethics & Law

Reproductive Technologies 

Jane Rooney

International Human Rights Law

Public International Law

The extraterritorial application of human rights

Incorporation of international obligations in the UK

Pierre Schammo

EU Law

Financial Regulation

Robert Schuetze

EU Constitutional law

Comparative federalism

Comparative regionalism

Natalie Sedacca

Labour law / employment law, particularly where related to marginalised workers / issues of gender and migration 

Human rights, where related to: the rights of workers / women / migrants; economic and social rights; positive obligations; or the Inter-American Court of Human Rights 

Christopher Szabla

International Law

Legal History

Law and Colonialism

Migration and Refugee Law

Law of Armed Conflict

Catherine Turner

Transitional Justice

International Law and Peacemaking

Violence and Law

Law and conflict

Critical theory- (particularly Derrida)

Barend Van-Leeuwen

EU Internal Market Law (in particular, free movement of goods and services)

EU Health Law

The Interaction between EU Law and Medical Law (in particular, free movement of patients/doctors, professional qualifications/discipline, product liability law, regulation of medical devices)

EU Private Law 

Judicial Protection in EU Law (in particular, State liability and private liability, and the horizontal application of free movement law)

 
Jenifer Varzaly

Corporate law

Corporate governance 

Angelia Wang

Intellectual property (IP) law

IP and artificial intelligence

Personal data and privacy

Blockchain and non-fungible tokens (NFTs)

IP for games and gamification

Bruce Wardhaugh

Competition Law including state aid / subsidies

Cartel control

WTO and International Trade Law

Law and economics (including projects incorporating that methodology)

Corporate and commercial law

Se-shauna Wheatle

UK Constitutional Law

Comparative Constitutional Law

Rule of Law

Caribbean Constitutional Law

Kara Woodbury-Smith

Constitutional Theory

General Jurisprudence

Law and Language

Philosophy of Human Rights Law

Philosophy of International Law

Olivia Woolley

Environmental Law (UK, EU, International)

Terrestrial and marine ecosystem protection and law

Energy Law concerning the low carbon energy transition

Renewable Energy and Law (UK, EU, International)

Climate Law (UK, EU, International)

Ben Yong

Public law 

Institutions

Empirical legal research

The judiciary: empirical studies

Sociolegal approaches to the law

The executive

The legislature/Parliament

Budgeting

Bureaucracy: the civil service; parliamentary administration

The legal profession