Academic staff

Experts in the field

The academic staff will share their knowledge and might invite you to assist in their research. Moreover, our teaching staff will use their network to help you connect with organisations and institutions you might be interested in. Core lecturers of our programme include:

  • Professor Chris Backes is professor of Environmental Law at the Institute of Jurisprudence, Constitutional and Administrative Law. He works in the field of international, European and Dutch environmental law, including in particular environmental law (waste, air quality and other topics) and nature conservation law. 
  • Professor Edward Brans has been Professor of Sustainability and Environmental Liability since November 2020. He combines his appointment at the university with work as an attorney and in that capacity is (has been) involved in many climate, sustainability and environmental liability cases.
  • Professor Ton van den Brink is full professor as well as Jean Monnet professor of EU legislative studies and member of the board of Utrecht Centre of Shared Regulation and enforcement in Europe (RENFORCE). 
  • Professor Herman Kasper Gilissen is professor of Climate Change, Regulation and Deltas. He works for the Delta Climate Center (Vlissingen) and the Institute for Jurisprudence and Constitutional & Administrative Law/Utrecht University Centre for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law (UCWOSL). 
  • Professor Willem Janssen is the Endowed Professor of Public Procurement Law, holding the chair of the Dutch Association for Public Procurement Law, and an Associate Professor of European and Dutch Public Procurement Law. 
  • Professor Marleen van Rijswick is Professor of European and Dutch Water Law and is director of Utrecht Universty Centre for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law. (see http://ucwosl.rebo.uu.nl/). She researches the question how law can contribute to a sustainable and equitable use of water based on shared responsibilities.
  • Professor Seline Trevisanut has held the chair of International Law and Sustainability at Utrecht University since 1 February 2018. She also conducts research within the Utrecht Centre for Water, Ocean and Sustainibility Law and teaches general international law, international environmental law and ocean law and policy.
  • Dr Federica Agostini is Assistant Professor in the International and European Law Department at the School of Law. Her research predominantly focuses on the role of law in mobilising capital markets toward sustainability goals. She also specialises in corporate governance and EU financial regulation.
  • Dr Liping Dai is an assistant professor at Utrecht University Centre for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law. She currently is doing comparative research between the Netherlands and China in the field of water governance and Nature-based Solutions, where she focuses on contextual factors and governance structures which influence the water governance regime.
  • Dr Haomiao Du is involved in teaching public international law, international climate law and EU climate law. Haomiao's work mainly surrounds international and comparative climate law (in particular the EU, China, and Vietnam).
  • Dr Julie Fraser is is a human rights lawyer and scholar with the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM) and the Montaigne Centre at Utrecht University. She qualified to practice before the Australian High Court. At the university, Julie teaches in the bachelor and master programmes, including public international law, international criminal law, Transitional Justice, and human rights law.
  • Dr Nikolaos Giannopoulos is currently appointed as Assistant Professor in International and European Law. His current research focuses on the legal and regulatory issues relating to the energy transition within the multi-layered EU legal order and he has a special interest in both environmental and economic law.
  • Dr Gonzalo Larrea is an assistant professor at the International and European Law. He specializes in international and European law, sustainability law, regulatory law, and climate change.
  • Dr Kleoniki Pouikli is an assistant professor within the Department of International and European Law at the Utrecht University School of Law. She works in the field of EU environmental law, sustainability law, and climate change. 
  • Dr Luigi Prosperi has an academic background, he has also gained practical experience in the field of international criminal law. After moving to the Netherlands in 2015, he worked in various capacities for international criminal tribunals, including as an Associate Legal Officer in the Appeals Division of the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and as a consultant at the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office. 
  • Mr Dr Ida Mae de Waal is an Assistant Professor at the Utrecht Centre for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law (UCWOSL). She holds a PhD (2024, cum laude) from Utrecht University. Her PhD research, titled ‘A Legal Framework for the Circular Economy in the European Union’, focuses on the role of coherence within EU chemicals legislation, product legislation and waste legislation in light of the transition towards a circular economy.