As a climate conscious human rights teacher and researcher, I am concerned with climate injustice. I investigate the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable groups, the protection of socioeconomic rights in contexts of transitions, both from conflict to peace and from unsustainable to sustainable societies, respecting planetary boundaries to safeguard Earth system stability.

I was awarded my PhD from the Transitional Justice Institute, University of Ulster, Belfast, for my research on transitional justice and socioeconomic rights in South Africa and Northern Ireland. I hold an LLM in International Human Rights Law from the University of Essex, UK. I am teaching and researching human rights with a focus on climate justice and climate change litigation at the intersection of law and science.

I am passionate about climate justice and sustainability education. The climate crisis is one of the most pressing issues of our time. Climate change litigation has gained considerable momentum through landmark decisions of international courts (ICJ, ITLOS) and regional human rights courts (ECtHR, IACtHR), challenging the boundaries of human rights at the intersection of law and science. I have introduced climate change litigation in my teaching as courts have become critical spaces where the evolution of law and human rights becomes manifest. As emerging human rights advocates, students need to be enabled to respond to the challenges of the climate crisis.

Prior to my interest in climate change justice and sustainability education, I followed my research interest in transitional justice and human rights. I pursued my doctoral research at the Transitional Justice Institute, University of Ulster, where I was awarded my PhD in International Law (Transitional Justice and Human Rights).

I also hold an LLM in International Human Rights Law from the University of Essex. Prior to that, I received my legal education at the Universities of Geneva and Freiburg (First State Examination in Law) and through professional legal practice in the justice administration of Berlin (Second State Examination in Law). After qualifying as a lawyer, I practised law as an attorney in private law for several years.

In addition, I have been engaged in human rights and humanitarian work with a range of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including work for the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Uganda, for Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Fédération Internationale des Ligues des Droits de L’Homme (FIDH) in Rwanda and for the FoodFirst Information and Action Network (FIAN) in Germany.

Prior to working as a Senior Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, I have been teaching human rights and global justice related courses at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Leiden University College, and the University of Ulster, Belfast.

As a climate conscious human rights teacher and researcher, I am concerned with and work on the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable groups and the protection of socioeconomic rights in contexts of transitions, both from conflict to peace and from unsustainable to sustainable societies.

I enjoy the collaboration with colleagues from across the University as we develop an interdisciplinary module on the Global Climate Emergency and collaborate in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Cluster ‘Sustainability and Climate Education’.

As I work at the intersection of human rights law and science in the context of climate change and climate education, my work revolves around two principal questions: How can law and human rights be used and developed to address climate change and the related global environmental crises? How can students become climate competent lawyers and human rights advocates?

Climate change is a global crisis. It is vital to be in dialogue with colleagues from different disciplines across the globe. I am a mentor in the Academics Stand Against Poverty (ASAP) Fellowship scheme of Yale University’s Global Justice Program, a trustee of ASAP UK and a member of the Executive Board of the Association of Human Rights Institutes (AHRI). I am also contributing to the Rights of Nature Committee of the International Law Association (ILA).

My teaching interests are concerned with human rights and transitional justice, climate inequality and social justice.

My primary research interests are centred around the question on how socioeconomic rights and social justice frameworks, such as the capability approach (Sen, Nussbaum) and vulnerability theory (Fineman), can help us address social and climate inequalities experienced by vulnerable populations.

My teaching interests are concerned with human rights and transitional justice, inequality and social justice. My teaching also includes the right to health and the political economy of crime.

My primary research interests are centred around the question on how socio-economic rights and social justice frameworks, such as the capability approach (Sen, Nussbaum), can address social inequalities, with a particular focus on societies confronted with the demands of transitional justice.