Honorary and Adjunct Appointments

Dr. Stefano Angeleri: Adjunct Lecturer

Dr. Stefano Angeleri is an Adjunct Lecturer at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, University of Galway. He is a legal scholar specialising in health and human rights, migration, and European human rights law, with extensive experience working with international organisations, NGOs, and academic institutions. Dr. Angeleri has conducted pioneering research on the rights of undocumented migrants to healthcare in Europe and has published widely on human rights protection in public health emergencies. He regularly contributes to teaching and mentoring in human rights law and policy at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Mr. Justice David Barniville: Adjunct Professor

Mr. Justice David Barniville is the President of the High Court of Ireland and a leading authority on commercial law and arbitration. He has served as Judge in charge of the Commercial Division of the High Court since 2019 and is Ireland’s designated Arbitration Judge under the Arbitration Act 2010.

Previously Chair of the General Council of the Bar of Ireland and a former Senior Counsel, he has represented Ireland on the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. He is also a Bencher of the King’s Inns and the Middle Temple, Chair of Rule of Law Ireland, and a Board member of the National Maternity Hospital and the Academy of European Law. Justice Barniville contributes his expertise as an Adjunct Professor at University of Galway’s School of Law, supporting its LLM in International and Comparative Business Law.

Colonel Richard Brennan BL: Adjunct Professor

Colonel Richard Brennan BL is Director of the Defence Forces Legal Service at Defence Forces Headquarters and a barrister with over 35 years’ service in the Irish Defence Forces. He has extensive international operational experience, having served on UN missions in Lebanon, Syria, Eritrea, and Kosovo, and as Senior Legal Advisor with Irish contingents to UNIFIL and UNDOF.

A specialist in international humanitarian law, human rights law, and peace operations, he has served as Ireland’s representative on international expert groups on lethal autonomous weapons, explosive weapons in populated areas, and civilian harm mitigation. He lectures widely in Ireland and abroad, including at the International Institute of Humanitarian Law (San Remo), NATO Partnership for Peace Centre (Ankara), and the Irish Centre for Human Rights, and sits on the Board of Directors of the International Society for Military Law and the Law of War.

Mr. Justice Peter Charleton: Adjunct Professor

Mr. Justice Peter Charleton has served as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland since 2014, having previously served on the High Court from 2006 to 2014. Called to the Bar in 1979 and appointed Senior Counsel in 1995, he was counsel to the Morris Tribunal before joining the judiciary.

He chaired the Disclosures Tribunal from 2017 to 2018, producing major reports on Garda Síochána malpractice, and currently chairs the Judicial Studies Committee, which oversees judicial training. A prolific legal scholar, he has published widely on criminal, constitutional and intellectual property law, and is co-author of Charleton & McDermott’s Criminal Law and Evidence. He has also lectured at Trinity College Dublin and the King’s Inns.

Professor Brendan Edgeworth: Adjunct Professor

Professor Brendan Edgeworth is Emeritus Professor of Law at UNSW Sydney and a globally recognised authority on land and housing law. Over a distinguished career spanning more than three decades, he has advised numerous government and law reform bodies in Australia, served as Senior Advisor to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, and co-edited the Australian Law Journal (Property and Conveyancing section).

He has published widely on property law, legal history, and law and social theory, and has supervised numerous doctoral candidates to completion. A Fellow of the Cambridge Centre for Property Law and Adjunct Professor at the University of the South Pacific, he was honoured with the Australian Academic Lawyers Association’s Outstanding Career Achievement Award in 2024. He continues to contribute to University of Galway as an Adjunct Professor, supporting research, doctoral supervision, and teaching on land and housing law.

Dr. Andrew Forde: Adjunct Lecturer

Dr. Andrew Forde is Principal Officer and Head of Rural Regeneration at Ireland’s Department of Rural and Community Development, where he leads delivery of the €1 billion Rural Regeneration and Development Fund and other national schemes. He previously served as Head of Rural Strategy and Social Enterprise, spearheading Ireland’s first National Social Enterprise Policy and the landmark rural policy Our Rural Future.

Before returning to Ireland, Dr. Forde spent over a decade in senior roles with the Council of Europe and OSCE, including Head of Office in Kosovo and Political Advisor in Strasbourg, focusing on human rights, conflict resolution, and democratic governance in post-conflict regions.

He holds a PhD in International Human Rights Law from University of Galway and is an Adjunct Lecturer at its Irish Centre for Human Rights. He is also a Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and a forthcoming author with Cambridge University Press and Bristol University Press.

Ms. Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC: Adjunct Professor

Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC is a leading barrister at Matrix Chambers, London, specialising in public international law, international criminal law, human rights, and protest law. Called to the Bars of England & Wales, Ireland, and Northern Ireland, she has acted before the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and in landmark domestic and international cases, including representing South Africa in its genocide proceedings against Israel at the ICJ.

Renowned as a “fiercely intelligent” and “tactically brilliant” advocate, she has been named International Law Junior of the Year (Legal 500 Bar Awards) and serves on the ICC’s List of Counsel. Blinne is also a former Visiting Fellow at Harvard Law School and Vice-Chair of the Bar Human Rights Committee, and is widely recognised as one of the foremost human rights and public international lawyers of her generation.

Professor Shashikala Gurpur: Honorary Professor

Professor Shashikala Gurpur is Dean of the Faculty of Law at Symbiosis International University and Director of Symbiosis Law School, Pune, one of India’s leading law schools. A Jean Monnet Chair Professor (2021–2024) and Fulbright Scholar, she has over 30 years’ experience in legal education, research, and policy, and has served as a member of the Law Commission of India.

She has led numerous international collaborations in areas including climate change law, gender justice, human rights, and legal technology, and has published extensively on international law, feminist jurisprudence, and law and social transformation. Professor Gurpur is a member of several national and international academic and policy bodies, including the Bar Council of India’s Curriculum Development Committee and the Academic Council of India’s National Judicial Academy, and is widely recognised for her leadership in advancing innovative and inclusive legal education.

Ms. Dagmar Hovestadt: Adjunct Professor

Dagmar Hovestadt is an internationally recognised expert on archives, human rights, and transitional justice, with over two decades of experience in journalism, strategic communications, and archival research. Formerly Head of Outreach and Research at the Stasi Records Archive in Berlin, she led major initiatives on public engagement, international collaboration, and the role of archives in addressing past human rights abuses.

She has served as an international expert for the OSCE on fact-finding, access to secret police archives, and judicial communication strategies, and she contributes widely as an author, speaker, moderator, and board member in the fields of public-interest journalism and cultural heritage. Her publications on archives and transitional justice are widely cited, and she is a Fellow of the BMW Foundation Responsible Leadership Network and the Global Diplomacy Lab.

Ms. Tatiana Kelly: Adjunct Lecturer

Ms. Tatiana Kelly is a Senior Manager in the Tax Policy & Technical Centre at Deloitte Ireland and an Adjunct Lecturer at University of Galway’s School of Law. A Chartered Tax Advisor and Oxford graduate (MSc in International Tax & Policy), she has held senior roles at the Revenue Commissioners, IFAC, Grant Thornton, and the Irish Tax Institute.

With over 15 years’ experience spanning tax policy, legal education, and consultancy, Ms. Kelly is a recognised expert in taxation and regularly contributes as Ireland’s national reporter on taxpayer rights to the IBFD. She is overseeing the Revenue Law module for final-year law students and is engaged in developing future CPD offerings in taxation for legal and accounting professionals.

Dr. Mary Keogh: Adjunct Professor

Dr. Mary Keogh is Advocacy Director at CBM Global Disability Inclusion and Chair of the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC), a global network of leading NGOs advancing inclusive development and humanitarian action. She has over 20 years’ experience in international policy, advocacy, and research on disability rights and disability-inclusive development, working with organisations including the United Nations, World Bank, European Commission, and CBM.

A PhD graduate in Disability Law and Public Policy from University of Galway, Dr. Keogh has led major global advocacy initiatives on disability rights, gender equality, climate justice, and inclusive development. She has served on multiple national and international boards and is widely recognised for her leadership in shaping disability-inclusive policy and practice worldwide.

Professor Chen Lei: Honorary Professor

Professor Chen Lei is Chair in Chinese Law and Co-Director of the Centre for Chinese Law and Policy at Durham University. A globally recognised scholar in property law, contract law, commercial law, and international arbitration, he has held visiting positions at leading institutions including Harvard, Columbia, the Max Planck Institute, KU Leuven, and the National University of Singapore.

He has published seven books and numerous articles in leading journals, and serves on the editorial boards of several international law journals. A Titular Member of the International Academy of Comparative Law and a Fellow of the European Law Institute, Professor Chen also serves as an arbitrator with major international arbitration institutions and advises governments and international organisations on comparative and commercial law.

Mr. Eugene McKeown: Adjunct Lecturer

Mr. Eugene McKeown is a Senior Associate in Acoustics at RPS Group and an Adjunct Lecturer at University of Galway’s School of Law, where he has taught Environmental and Planning Law for nearly 25 years. A Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland, he holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Law, and Applied Acoustics.

With over four decades of experience, Eugene has led environmental impact assessments and acoustic modelling for major infrastructure projects across Ireland and the UK, including wind farms, national road schemes, energy facilities, ports, and marine developments. He has contributed to national planning guidelines, published widely on environmental acoustics, and serves on international standards committees for noise and wind energy.

Professor Dr. Guénaël Mettraux: Adjunct Professor

Professor Dr. Guénaël Mettraux is a Judge at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague and one of the world’s leading experts in international criminal law. He has previously served as defence counsel before the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, and the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and as Senior Consultant to the United Nations on accountability for ISIS crimes.

A prolific scholar, he is the author of The Law of Command Responsibility (OUP) and the multi-volume International Crimes – The Law and the Practice (OUP), and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of International Criminal Justice and the International Criminal Law Review. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, University of Galway, and has held academic positions at the Universities of Amsterdam, Leiden, Geneva, and Fribourg, among others.

Mr. Justice Brian Murray: Adjunct Professor

Mr. Justice Brian Murray is a Judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland, appointed in 2022, having previously served on the Court of Appeal from 2019 to 2022. Before his judicial appointments, he was a leading barrister specialising in public and commercial law.

His extensive experience spans complex litigation, appellate advocacy, and legal scholarship, and he has played a significant role in shaping Irish jurisprudence. Justice Murray brings his deep expertise in commercial and public law to his role as Adjunct Professor at University of Galway’s School of Law, contributing to its LLM in International and Comparative Business Law and its Private and Commercial Law research cluster.

Justice Dr. Mathilda Twomey-Woods: Adjunct Professor

Justice Dr. Mathilda Twomey-Woods is a Judge of the Court of Appeal of Seychelles and Academic Director of the Judicial Institute for Africa at the University of Cape Town. She previously served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Seychelles (2015–2020) and has held academic roles at University of Galway, the University of Seychelles, and the University of Cape Town.

A leading authority on judicial education, comparative law, and constitutionalism, she has developed and delivered judicial training programmes across Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. She is a member of the UNODC Global Judicial Integrity Network, a former Executive Council member of the Council of Constitutional Jurisdictions in Africa, and recipient of the Franco-German Human Rights Prize. Dr. Twomey-Woods holds a PhD in Law from University of Galway and is a Bencher of the Middle Temple.