School of Law launches groundbreaking research group to tackle ecological law and justice concerns

The School of Law are delighted to announce the formation of The Ecological Law and Justice Group.

Nested within the Centre for Law and Social Justice, the Ecological Law and Justice (ELJ) Group provides a focal point for the School of Law’s outstanding research and teaching in areas related to the environment. The ELJ Group brings together several multi-disciplinary academics committed to advancing research knowledge and pedagogical practices aimed at addressing the contemporary threats to our planet, societies and economies.  Their research ranges from the implications of the climate crisis for policing to the right to food, from the environmental implications of trade and insolvency law to animal welfare and rights.    

The Group facilitates research and teaching on ecological law and justice by:  

• Deepening and showcasing connections between researchers of mutual interest, including postgraduate and early-career researchers, within the University of Leeds and beyond  
• Supporting each other to conduct ambitious, inter-disciplinary research projects, including with a view to real-world impact  
• Fostering collaborative relationships between researchers, research users and wider stakeholders  
• Embedding ecological law and justice into the School’s formal and extra-curricular offerings. 

The group’s founder and co-lead, Dr Carrie Bradshaw, says: 

I’m delighted to announce the forming of the Ecological Law and Justice Group. The Group showcases the diversity and richness of our School’s expertise in this area and affords a real opportunity to enhance our research and teaching through greater visibility and collaboration.

Check out their experts  

• Dr Justine Bendel (International environmental law; international protection of forests; international litigation of the environment and climate change; international climate change law) 

• Professor Lydia Bleasdale  

• Dr Carrie Bradshaw (Environmental law and policy; Food Waste; Regulation; Corporate Responsibility; Corporate Theory; Supermarkets; Torts) 

• Amelia Brown (Environmental Law; Company Law; Corporate Social Responsibility; Greenwashing; Torts) 

• Dr Nick Cartwright 

• Dr Oriana Casasola (Insolvency Law and Policy; Farmers Financial Distress; Economic, Social and Environmental Sustainability) 

• Dr Maria Anna Corvaglia (International Trade Law; Labour Rights and Environmental Commitments in International Trade Agreements; Sustainability in Public Procurement) 

• Professor Graham Dutfield (Indigenous People’s Rights in Land, Resources and Knowledge; Biological and Ontological Diversity; Biocultural Heritage; Ethno-ecology; Intellectual Property Rights and Biotechnology; Traditional Knowledge; Food and Health) 

• Dr Joanne Hawkins (Environmental Law; Regulation; Public Participation; Planning Law and Policy; Trust; Risk; Placemaking; Infrastructure; Empirical Research) 

• Dr Clare James (The Right to Food; Food and Agriculture Policy; Antimicrobial Resistance; Supermarkets; Socioeconomic human rights) 

• Dr Ali Malik (Policing and climate crises; climate vulnerability and community resilience; disaster management and emergency planning; preparedness and response) 

• Dr Amrita Mukherjee (International Environmental Law; International Human Rights: Rights of Nature and International Climate Change Law) 

• Professor Conor O’Reilly (Informal Fuel Economy and Its Environmental Impacts; Academic-Artivist Links; Elite Private Security & The Transnational Intersectionality of Privilege) 

• Professor Jose Pina-Sánchez (Road Traffic and Crime; Sentencing; Data Analysis) 

• Dr Zoe Tongue (Animal Rights; Rights of Nature; Posthumanism; International Human Rights Law) 

Postgraduate researchers  

• Catriona Flesher (International Climate Law; United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change; Loss and Damage; Climate Justice; Human Rights; Legal Geography; Socio-Legal Studies) 

• Richard Kwadzofio (Corporate Law; Corporate Social Responsibility; Regulatory Compliance; Environmental Protection; Corporate Theory; Law and Development; International Commercial & Financial Law; Socio-legal Research) 

• Erika Moranduzzo (International Human Rights Law; International Climate Law; International Environmental Law; Climate Litigations; Refugee law and Climate Mobility; Social and Climate Justice – research project focuses on the legal protection of climate refugees) 

• Jack Oortwyn (Corporate Law; Corporate Social Responsibility; Corporate Theory; Stakeholder Voice) 

How to get involved 

Study 

The ELJ Group offers an  MA by Research. This allows students to select a research question and to work on this with two supervisors. They welcome PhD proposals from applicants interested in ecological law and justice, broadly defined. You are welcome to contact any of the ELJ academic staff to explore these options. 

Postdoctoral research 

The ELJ Group is keen to work with postdoctoral scholars in areas of mutual interest. If you have (or are applying for) funding for postdoctoral research in an area of their expertise and are looking for a vibrant and supportive academic home, please contact them for an informal discussion by emailing applypgr.socialsciences@leeds.ac.uk. 

Visiting scholars 

The ELJ Group welcomes enquiries from those interested in becoming a Visiting Scholar. The School of Law hosts visiting scholars for periods of between 2 weeks and 3 months. Feel free to contact ELJ members for an informal discussion of being a visiting scholar.  

For more information, visit ELJ’s website here. 

Please contact the group’s founder and co-lead, Dr Carrie Bradshaw (c.j.bradshaw@leeds.ac.uk), if you require further information.