Current PhD/MPhil Research Topics

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Current PhD/MPhil Research Topics

The School of Law has a thriving community of around 75 postgraduate researcher students. Our researchers are exploring a wide variety of areas of law. The main themes covered are:

• Civil Justice and Criminal Justice Systems (including Private International Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution)
• Commercial Law (including Company Law, Corporate Social Responsibility, CISG, Financial Regulation)
• Criminal Law
• Employment Law
• European Union Law
• Medical Law and Ethics
• Human Rights (including Critical Law)
• Intellectual Property Law
• International Law
• Law and Development
• Legal / Political Theory
• Other Research Topics

Civil Justice and Criminal Justice Systems

(including Private International Law and Alternative Dispute Resolution)

• Kevin Crosby (Supervisor Steven Cammiss)
  Kevin's research is regarding courts and the 'unreasoned' verdict. Kevin was awarded an AHRC Scholarship in 2009.

• Coleen Lewis (Supervisors John Hartshorne and Lorna Gillies)
  Coleen is making a critical and comparative analysis of the cyber defamation laws in England, USA and Australia, and considering proposals for reform of the Jamaican Defamation Act.

• Ann Marie Mangion (Supervisor Mandy Burton)
  Ann Marie's research is considering whether the new Maltese divorce legislation is fair and just vis-a-vis comparative divorce legislations?

• Levi Wilson Odoe (Supervisors Masood Ahmed and Francois Du Bois)
  Levi's research is a critical analysis of party autonomy in arbitration.

Commercial Law

(including Company Law, Corporate Social Responsibility, CISG, Financial Regulation)

• Sheriff Abiodun Adesanya (Supervisor Cosmo Graham)
  Abi's topic is a critical analysis of whether convergence is required in the regulation of the Nigerian telecommunication sector.
• Nevi Agapiou (Supervisors Sean Thomas and Masood Ahmed)
  Nevi is researching a predictive analysis of the legal reception of the 1980 UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) in the United Kingdom.
• Noor Alaydarous (Supervisors Martin Petrin and Horace Yeung)
  Noor's topic is entitled: Shareholder employment, regulatory controls and legal frameworks; a comparative analysis of the Legal Regulation of Company Activities through Shareholder Empowerment Litigation.
• Bader Almaskari (Supervisor Lorna Gillies)
  Bader's research is looking at avoiding uncertainty and lack of predictability under the European Insolvency Regulation (groups of Companies).
• Fatemah Alshuraian (Supervisor Cosmo Graham)
  Fatemah is researching the market manipulations regulatory framework in Kuwait Stock Exchange.
• Damian Beasley-Suffolk (Supervisors Cosmo Graham and Barbara Bogusz)
  Damian's topic is on the interaction of patents and industry standards, particularly in the mobile telecommunications industry, the establishment and operation of patent pools within this industry, and their compatibility with competition rules within the EU.
• Reza Beheshti (Supervisors Sean Thomas and Francois du Bois)
  Reza is researching the termination of international commercial contracts under CISG, English Law , UNIDROIT and DCFR
• Lisa Benjamin (Supervisors Daniel Attenborough and Martin Petrin)
  Lisa's title is: Towards a greener corporate objective? Multinational corporations and climate change - have voluntary codes of conduct and reports on corporate social responsibility in the context of climate change affected corporate objectives?
• Ian Clarke (Supervisor Erika Szyszczak)
  Ian's research title is 'Procurement directives: rising to the challenges of a new commercial environment'.
• Omar Daoud (Supervisor Daniel Attenborough)
  Omar's research looks at corporate governance under the Anglo-American system.
• Julia Jennings (Supervisor Daniel Attenborough and Lorna Gillies)
  Julia's title is: Company vs Consumer - can the needs of each be met?
• Serife Esra Kiraz (Supervisors Sean Thomas and Barbara Bogusz)
  Esra's title is: Third party’s intellectual property rights and the responsibility under the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG).
• Fatma Banu Kring (Supervisor Erika Szyszczak)
  Banu's research topic is entitled 'Minority shareholder rights in the context of M&A transactions'.
• Dean Lewis (Supervisors Masood Ahmed and Francois Du Bois)
  Dean's research is in the area of Arbitration and his topic is entitled 'Harmonisation in adoption and interpretation of the judicial intervention provisions of the UNCITRAL model law in Pacific rim jurisdictions'.
• Zaid Mahayni (Supervisors Martin Petrin and Janet Ulph)
  Zaid's research looks at increasing equitable profit distribution through public offering.
• Levi Wilson Odoe (Supervisors Masood Ahmed and Francois Du Bois)
  Levi's research is on applicable law in international commercial arbitration.
• Aybike Salman (Supervisors Horace Yeung and Martin Petrin)
  Aybike's research is regarding the shareholder rights protection under EU and Turkish Corporate Governance System and Company Law.
• Irem Tore (Supervisors Paolo Vargiu, Cosmo Graham and Daniel Attenborough)
  Irem's topic is The Impact of Corporate Governance on Investment Decisions and Turkey.
• Mina Yip (Supervisors Horace Yeung and Daniel Attenborough)
  Mina is investigating what the law is in Hong Kong on Directors' Duties under the revamp of the Hong Kong Company Law Bill 2011.

Criminal Law

• Olson Alleyne (Supervisor Sally Cunningham)
  Olson's research is on confronting identity theft, with a critical and comparative analysis of the emerging response of the criminal law in England, the US and Australia.
• Colin Flynn (Supervisor Troy Lavers)
  Colin's research looks at sentencing principles and guidelines in international criminal law.
• Shweta Luthra (Supervisors Tracey Elliott and Sally Cunningham)
  Shweta is researching the consequences for mentally disordered defendants in India and England.
• Neil Marshall (Supervisors Lorna Gillies and Barbara Bogusz)
  Neil is researching the impact of the changing role of online intermediaries on their legal obligations and other issues concerning cyber crime.

Employment Law

• Julie McClelland (Supervisors Pascale Lorber and Oxana Golynker)
  Julie's research topic is entitled 'Can the reach of employment protection be extended to atypical working patterns through a unified concept of employee and employment contract?'
• Lisa Rodgers (Supervisor Mark Bell)
  Lisa is looking at the topic of employment law, and whether it provides adequate protection for vulnerable groups of workers.

European Union Law

• Sara Benedi Lahuerta (Supervisors Mark Bell and Oxana Golynker)
  Sara's research is examining the effectiveness of Directives 2000/43/EC and 2000/78/EC, regarding national mechanisms for enforcing racial and religious equality in the light of European Requirements.
• Gautier Busschaert (Supervisor Adam Cygan)
  Gautier's research title is: The Third Sector in the European Community: a legal analysis.
• Ian Clarke (Supervisor Erika Szyszczak)
  Ian's research title is 'Procurement directives: rising to the challenges of a new commercial environment'.
• Jacques Couvas (Supervisor Adam Cygan)
  Jacques is examining the risks, opportunities and trade-offs in Brussels' ambitions to incorporate the emerging markets of the East pitted against the strategist's alternative of consolidation with question in mind: 'how far is too far in EU's enlargement perspective in the 21st century?'
• Fatma Banu Kring (Supervisor Erika Szyszczak)
  Banu's research topic is entitled 'Minority shareholder rights in the context of M&A transactions'.
• Wan Loi Man (Supervisors Adam Cygan and Toni Johnson)
  Wan Loi's research is examining to what extent is the Dutch immigration and asylum regime reflective of the EU immigration and asylum law and international human rights law.
• Milica Matijevic (Supervisors Eugenia Caracciolo di Torella and David Mangan)
  Milica's research investigates whether the concept of social inclusion could underpin the effectivenes of positive action measures.

Medical Law and Ethics

• Rita D'Alton-Harrison (Supervisors Roy Gilbar and David Bartram)
  Rita's topic is entitled: 'Governance of the legal and domiciled parent: inter-country surrogacy, border controls and the 'disconnected' family'.
• Julia Feuer (Supervisors Roy Gilbar and Elizabeth Wicks)
  Julia's topic is to do with the legal and ethical problems and implications of cross border fertility treatment.
• Shweta Luthra (Supervisors Sally Cunningham and Tracey Elliott)
  Shweta is considering the consequences for mentally disordered defendants in India and England.
• Azin Niksefaty (Supervisors Elizabeth Wicks and José Miola)
  Azin's research considers if the practice of assisted suicide and euthanasia be supported by the human rights authorities for the better protection of human rights.
• Ebikaboere Bolanle Olaosebikan (Supervisors Roy Gilbar and Jose Miola)
  

  Ebi is investigating the issue of autonomy in advanced dementia patients with dysphagia who have an advance directive.

Human Rights

• Burcu Zeynep Akbaba (Supervisors Sally Cunningham, Elizabeth Wicks and Tracey Elliott)
  Zeynep's research looks at the effects of chemical castration on human rights.
• Mohammad Al-Haddad (Supervisor David Bonner)
  Mohammad's research is on provisional detention.
• Henry Jones (Supervisor Paul O'Connell)
  Henry is researching 'the failures of liberalism in international law'. Henry was appointed as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in September 2009.
• Jean-Claude Kalume Misenga (Supervisors Paul O'Connell and Yassin M'Boge)
  Jean-Claude is researching women's rights in international law and the lessons learned from a comparative analysis of the implementation of CEDAW in light of legal, cultural and socio-economic factors.
• Ana Carolina Kobe (Supervisors Loveday Hodson and Eki Omorogbe)
  Carolina's research topic is entitled 'How can an ethical theory of international law contribute to a meaningful responsibility to protect?'. Carolina is the recipient of a College of Arts, Humanitites and Law scholarship.
• Anna Kweskin (Supervisors Yassin M'Boge and Loveday Hodson)
  Anna's research is in the human rights area, entitled 'one laptop per child: is this the next human right?
• Shweta Luthra (Supervisors Sally Cunningham and Tracey Elliott)
  Shweta is considering the consequences for mentally disordered defendants in India and England.
• Gayatri Patel (Supervisors Peter Cumper and Loveday Hodson)
  The basis of Gayatri's research is an examination of the new Human Right's Council's 'Universal Periodic Review' procedure in light of cultural relativism. Gayatri was appointed as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in September 2010.
• Tutku Tugyan (Supervisors Troy Lavers and Loveday Hodson)
  Tutku is researching extraterritorial jurisdiction on human rights treaties.
• Joe Wills (Supervisors Loveday Hodson and Paul O'Connell)
  Joe's research is in the area of social movements and the social construction of socioeconomic rights in the globalisation era. Joe was appointed as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in January 2010.
• Stuart Wright (Supervisors Troy Lavers and Loveday Hodson)
  Stuart is considering the meaning of post-colonial self-determination and its impact upon minority claims for the right to development.

Intellectual Property Law

• Neil Marshall (Supervisors Lorna Gillies and Barbara Bogusz)
  Neil is researching the impact of the changing role of online intermediaries on their legal obligations and other issues concerning cyber crime.

International Law

• Samuel Akorimo (Supervisor Malcolm Shaw)
  Samuel's topic is 'an assessment of the suitability of the ICT of Rwanda as a criminal justice response to the genocide of 1994'.
• Abdelnaser Ali (Supervisor Katja Ziegler and Tehila Sagy)
  Naser is doing research into the smuggling of migrants in contemporary international law.
• Carlos Canales (Supervisor Malcolm Shaw)
  Carlos's topic is regarding the principle of the preservation of the unity of a common oil and gas deposit in the international law of the sea, and whether boundaries matter any more.
• Colin Flynn (Supervisor Troy Lavers)
  Colin's research looks at sentencing principles and guidelines in international criminal law.
• Catherine Ovo Imoedemhe (Supervisors Eki Omorogbe and Troy Lavers)
  Ovo's research is in the form of a study case of Nigeria: National implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, obligations and challenges for deomestic legislation.
• Biobelemabo Inko-Tariah (Supervisors Eki Omorogbe and Katja Ziegler)
  Biobele is examining whether humanitarian intervention is being used as justification by more powerful nations to intervene in weaker nations in breach of international law. Biobele was appointed as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in September 2009.
• Henry Jones (Supervisor Paul O'Connell)
  Henry is researching 'the failures of liberalism in international law'. Henry was appointed as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in September 2009.
• Stavroula Kalopsidiotou (Supervisor Malcolm Shaw)
  Stavri's research title is the impact of regional organisations on the normative framework of international law governing peace and security: international law revisited?
• Jean-Claude Kalume Misenga (Supervisors Paul O'Connell and Yassin M'Boge)
  Jean-Claude is researching women's rights in international law and the lessons learned from a comparative analysis of the implementation of CEDAW in light of legal, cultural and socio-economic factors.
• Ana Carolina Kobe (Supervisors Loveday Hodson and Eki Omorogbe)
  Carolina's research topic is entitled 'How can an ethical theory of international law contribute to a meaningful responsibility to protect?'. Carolina is the recipient of a College of Arts, Humanities and Law scholarship.
• Peter Mason (Supervisors Thoko Kaime and Katja Ziegler)
  Peter's topic is entitled 'Is the UK implementing a marine conservation policy that fulfils its obligations under international law with particular reference to marine conservation areas and the Marine and Coastal Access Act?'
• Alec Maxfield (Supervisors Yassin M'Boge and Eki Omorogbe)
  Alec's research topic is looking at the dichotomy between economic coercion and the use of force.
• Farhad Mirzayev (Supervisor Malcolm Shaw)
  Farhad's research considers UTI Possidetis v self-determination: the lessons of post-Soviet practice.
• Eldirdiri Mohamed Ahmed (Supervisors Eki Omorogbe and Katja Zielger)
  Eldirdiri's research topic is recognizing self-determination as a principle for resolving post-colonial conflicts: the case of the Sudan.
• Patrick Sangwani Ng'ambi (Supervisors Paolo Vargiu and Paul O'Connell)
  Sangwani's research topic is entitled 'Sovereignty, stablisation clauses and the Zambian windfall tax'.
• Gayatri Patel (Supervisors Peter Cumper and Loveday Hodson)
  The basis of Gayatri's research is an examination of the new Human Right's Council's 'Universal Periodic Review' procedure in light of cultural relativism. Gayatri was appointed as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in September 2010.
• Irem Tore (Supervisors Paolo Vargiu, Daniel Attenborough and Cosmo Graham)
  Irem's topic is The Impact of Corporate Governance on Investment Decisions and Turkey.
• Iris Truman (Supervisor Malcolm Shaw)
  Iris's topic is entitled: A proposal for International Court of State and Corporate Disputes - The ICSCD

Law and Development

• Irem Tore (Supervisors Paolo Vargiu, Daniel Attenborough and Cosmo Graham)
  Irem's topic is The Impact of Corporate Governance on Investment Decisions and Turkey.
• Joe Wills (Supervisors Loveday Hodson and Paul O'Connell)
  Joe's research is in the area of social movements and the social construction of socioeconomic rights in the globalisation era. Joe was appointed as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in January 2010.

Legal / Political Theory

• Yavuz Alkan (Supervisors Peter Cumper and Stefano Bertea)
  Yavuz's research is on rights, secularism and democracy.
• Maria Paula Barrantes-Reynolds (Supervisors Hilary Sommerlad and Paul O'Connell)
  Paula is considring human rights v pluralism in multicultural societies, in particular the case of the Bolivian Constitution of 2009.
• Jeremy Bradley (Supervisors Stefano Bertea and Toni Johnson)
  Jeremy's topic is entitled 'In Defence of Empathetic Reasoning in Legal Decision-Making'.
• Henry Jones (Supervisor Paul O'Connell)
  Henry is researching 'the failures of liberalism in international law'. Henry was appointed as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in September 2009.
• Joe Wills (Supervisors Loveday Hodson and Paul O'Connell)
  Joe is starting his research in the area of social movements and the social construction of socioeconomic rights in the globalisation era. Joe was appointed as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in January 2010.

Other Research Topics

• Charlotte Woodhead (Supervisors Dawn Watkins and Janet Ulph)
  Charlotte is considering a critical and comparative analysis of property rights within the context of cultural heritage.

Recent PhD/MPhil Graduates

• Abidah Abdul Ghafar (Supervisors Mandy Burton and Steven Cammiss)
  Title: Legal protection for vulnerable and intimidated witnesses:  a critical analysis on the UK and Malaysian law from the perspective of human rights. Abidah will graduate in July 2013.
• Wasim Al-Jerafi (Supervisors Camilla Andersen and Paolo Vargiu)
  Title: Yemen’s ratification of the New York Convention: an analysis of compatibility and the uniform interpretation of Articles v(1)(a) and v(2)(b)".
  Wasim will graduate in July 2013.
• Mojeed Alabi (Supervisor Erika Szyszczak)
  Title: Judicial regime of regional integration in Africa: an examination of the role of the ECOWAS Court in the Evolution of a regional legal order in West Africa.
  Mojeed will graduate in July 2013.
• Robert Barron (Supervisor John Hartshorne)
  Title: How scientific evidence has caused injustices in the English criminal legal system.
  Robert will graduate in July 2013

• Maribel Canot-Lopez (Supervisor Robin White)
  Title: Are international and regional human rights instruments up to the challenge of globalization in the 21st century? Extraterritorial responsibility of States and the 'war on terror'. Maribel graduated in January 2013.

• Zhenyun Chen (Supervisor Christopher Bisping)
  title:  Risks, challenges and prospects for China's banking industry after entry into WTO. Zhenyun graduated in January 2013.

• Michael Filby (Supervisor Barbara Bogusz)
  Title: Cyber Piracy: Can file sharing be regulated without impeding the digital revolution? Michael will graduate in July 2013

• David Hosking (Supervisor Mark Bell)
  Title: A critical study of EU Law and Policy related to disability. David graduated in July 2012.
• Brendan Kelly (Supervisors Jose Miola and Liz Wicks)
  Title: Human rights protection for the mentally ill through mental health law in England and Ireland. Brendan will graduate in July 2013.
• Julie Oseko (Supervisor Liz Wicks)
  Title: Judicial Independence In Kenya: Constitutional Challenges And Opportunities For Reform. Julie graduated in January 2013.
• Yeside Oyetayo (Supervisor Dr Priscilla Schwartz)
  Title: Insurance Regulation in The General Agreement on Trade in Services:  A Model for Liberalisation and Development in Nigeria.
  Yeside graduated in January 2013.
• James Roffee (Supervisor Sally Cunningham)
  Title: The Law on Incest: A New Legal Realist Approach to Understanding the English and Welsh Prohibitions.
  James graduated in January 2013.
• Ngozi Stewart (Supervisor David Bonner)
  Title: Environmental terrorism: turning a nagging menace into an impetus for the reform and effective enforcement of environmental laws in Nigeria.
  Ngozi will graduate in July 2013.
• Patricia Streeter (Supervisor Malcolm Shaw)
  Title: Fair Trial in Lithuania:  From European Convention to Realization.
  Pat will graduate in July 2013.
• Jacqueline Walsh (Supervisor Adam Cygan)
  Title: The Competitive Plight of the Small Software Firm: A Case for Statutory Reform.
  Jacqui will graduate in July 2013.
• Anan Younes (Supervisors Pablo Cortes and Barbara Bogusz)
  Title: International inclinations to solve the problems of overlapping among trademarks and domain names, and the impact of this upon E-commerce.
  Anan graduated in July 2012.