Schulich School of Law

Research Chairs & Awards

School of Law Research Chairs

Dalhousie Distinguished Research Professor

Professor Robert Currie is one of the architects of the legal discipline of transnational criminal law and the pre-eminent Canadian legal voice in the field. He was the first academic of the globalization era to identify that the legal problems associated with crimes that cross borders require understanding and application of both criminal law and international law, but that legislators, policy-makers, and lawyers do not truly share a legal language in common. He has authored and co-authored numerous scholarly books and articles that unpack and critically analyze the difficult legal issues at play, and that combine Canadian criminal law with the international legal framework that increasingly infuses and affects it.
Canada Research Chair: Indigenous Governance

Dr. Sherry Pictou’s research program seeks to address concerns about the limited participation of Indigenous women in governance and decision-making processes as evidenced by Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Her research examines a re-grounding of Indigenous women and governance based on Indigenous land- and water-based laws and treaty relations, community-based management, Indigenous rights and ecosystem-based management.
Canada Research Chair in Ocean Law and Governance

Professor David VanderZwaag uses this Chair to evaluate global ocean governance. Specifically, Professor VanderZwaag's work includes examining the effectiveness of regional agreements for managing fisheries and protecting the Arctic marine environment and also studying issues raised by sustainable development, community-based management, Indigenous rights and ecosystem-based management. His research aims to develop legislative and regulatory reforms for supporting more principled decision-making in ocean governance.
Canada Research Chair in Maritime Law and Policy
Professor Aldo Chircop is looking at the factors that facilitate and constrain uniform international shipping standards and their enforcement. He is also examining how Canadian maritime law can be developed further and harmonized with international rules. Ultimately,  research will help policy makers, maritime administrators, and courts make decisions that support trade and commerce while making shipping safer and more sustainable. 
James S. Palmer Chair in Public Policy and Law
Jon Legorburu is the James S. Palmer Chair in Public Policy and Law. In this role, he contributes to the ongoing policy formulation process within business, government, social and other spheres. Legorburu sees the University as the springboard for such endeavours, with the Schulich School of Law at the forefront of this process. Systemic initiatives are arising across our society, from cyber-security and defence, to social media regulation, climate change and policies aimed at addressing the adverse impacts of prejudice, to name a few. This Chair is open to policy education and formulation in the widest sense, in the classroom and the community.
Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law
Professor Michael Deturbide plans to raise the profile of Schulich Law's extensive business law offerings and the work of his colleagues while providing more opportunities for students interested in completing a business law specialization. As Chair, he will continue to support scholars in business law, including those with an interest in corporate law and theory, securities regulation, finance, bankruptcy and insolvency, taxation, competition law and other related fields. 
MacBain Chair in Health Law & Policy
Professor Joanna Erdman serves as the inaugural MacBain Chair in Health Law and Policy. As Chair, and as part of Dalhousie's Health Law Institute, Professor Erdman engages in projects that carry impact in the health law field locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Formerly a Resident Fellow of the Program for the Study of Reproductive Justice at Yale Law School, Professor Erdman is an exceptional scholar in health law and policy – particularly in the areas of sexual and reproductive health law.
Chancellor's Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy
Professor Naiomi Metallic is Dalhousie’s inaugural Chancellor’s Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy. She teaches and researches in the area of Aboriginal law and identifies opportunities to collaborate with scholars from other Dalhousie faculties to offer interdisciplinary courses and conduct interdisciplinary research in Aboriginal law. She also builds the profile of the Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie in Aboriginal law and policy teaching and research and fosters relationships between Dalhousie and Aboriginal communities in the Maritimes.
Viscount Bennett Professor of Law
As Chair, Professor Olabisi D. Akinkugbe plans to enhance the profile, reputation, intellectual and social impact of Schulich Law locally, nationally, and internationally through collaborative research, roundtables, workshops, and publications in his research areas. Professor Akinkugbe's research interests cut across international economic law, international human rights law, international investment law, law and development, international courts, and business law as they relate to Africa. He explores these issues from the national, regional, and international contexts. He uses interdisciplinary materials from political science, sociology, international development studies, economics and history to explore issues of economic development and international economic law. As the Viscount Bennett Professor of Law, he will continue to support great teaching and meaningful contributions to scholarship and international affairs. 
The Chair in Restorative Justice and Director of the Restorative Research, Innovation and Education Lab (RRIELab)
Professor Jennifer Llewellyn is the Chair in Restorative Justice and Director of the Restorative Research, Innovation and Education Lab (RRIELab). Professor Llewellyn has published extensively on the theory and practice of a restorative approach, and her teaching and research are focused in the areas of relational theory, restorative justice, truth commissions, peacebuilding, international and domestic human rights law, public law and Canadian constitutional law. She is an internationally recognized expert on restorative justice, and is currently Director of the International Learning Community on a Restorative Approach, an international collaboration of researchers, policy makers and practitioners supporting jurisdictions committed to being restorative communities.
Yogis and Keddy Chair in Human Rights Law
Professor Sara Seck is dedicated to reimagining law and governance and applying it to overcome current challenges. As Chair, she plans to enrich international human rights law engagement at Schulich Law and beyond with hopes to better contribute efforts and address global and local environmental challenges.