School of Law

Research

Research Director
Professor Brice Dickson

Objectives
The Human Rights cluster within the School of Law has eight members (Colin Harvey,  Jean Allain, Tom Hadden, Rory O’Connell, Tom Obokata, Aoife Nolan, Tarik Kochi, Alison Mawhinney). It is part of the School of Law’s Human Rights Centre which has a wider membership. Members of the Human Rights cluster have produced research of an international standard and are recognised as leading scholars in their respective fields. Members continue to participate in national and international conferences and seminars on human rights law. Cluster members have participated in the extensive programme of events organised by the Centre and play a full part in the Centre’s work.

The cluster’s research output includes a number of books: International Law in the Middle East: Closer to Power than Justice; Unlocking the Middle East: The Writings of Richard Falk; Human Rights,  Equality and Democratic Renewal in Northern Ireland; Human Rights in the Community: Rights as Agents for  Change, Trafficking of Human Beings from a Human Rights Perspective as well as a range of articles in leading law journals, including: Modern Law Review; International and Comparative Law Quarterly; European Human Rights Law Review; Human Rights Quarterly; Ratio Juris;  and Human Rights Law Review. Members of the cluster have also been guest editors of several journals including: Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence and Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly. Members of the cluster serve on editorial boards including: International Journal of Refugee Law,  Human Rights Law Review, Irish Yearbook of International Law. Other indicators of esteem include: Series Editor of Human Rights Law in Perspective (Hart Publishing); Member of Northern Ireland Higher Education Council 2002-2006; Members of Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission; as well as work with UN and other international bodies. Members of the cluster have also attracted research funding from: American University in Cairo; QUB Teaching Fund; British Academy; Nuffield Foundation; British Council; and the Global Commission on International Migration. Members of the cluster routinely contribute to international and national conferences,  seminars and workshops relating to human rights.

Professor William Schabas (Director, Irish Centre for Human Rights, NUI,Galway) is a visiting Professor at the School of Law and has been fully involved in the human rights work of the School for some time. Professor Schabas is our link on the innovative Cross-Border LLM in Human Rights and delivered the MacDermott Lecture in 2007. Professor Schabas has also contributed to our research culture through Master Classes for staff and students as well as his contribution to, for example, the School's edited collection in memory of Professor Stephen Livingstone: 'Judges, Transition and Human Rights'.

Director

Professor Brice Dickson
International and Comparative Law, Judicial Law-Making, Human Rights

Members

Professor Colin Harvey
Human Rights Law, Refugee and Asylum Law, Constitutional Law

Dr Jean Allain
Public International Law, Human Rights Law, Humanitarian Law

Dr Tarik Kochi
War and Terror, Theory of Violence, Legal and Political Philosophy

Dr Sylvie Langlaude
Public international law and human rights, religious liberty, freedom of expression, children’s rights

Dr Alison Mawhinney
Freedom of religion, employment and non-discrimination, governance and human rights protection

Dr Aoife Nolan
Economic and social rights, children's rights, public interest law, comparative constitutional law

Dr Tom Obokata
Human Rights, European/Transnational Criminal Justice, and Reguee/Migration Law

Dr Rory O'Connell
Comparative Constitutional Law, Human Rights, Legal Theory

Prof Tom Hadden
(Emeritus) Corporate Groups, Emergency Law, Human Rights, Conflict Regulation and Resolution, Integration of Minorities

Prof William Schabas
Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland, Galway