The Chairs are highly qualified academics who serve as academic drivers in areas of relevance to the Arctic. As the leading scientist in their field, the Chairs implement and drive collaborative actions in research and education among UArctic members and Thematic Networks and build partnerships with the broader Arctic community.

The UArctic Chair in Arctic Legal Research and Education aims to promote Arctic law as an academic discipline and enhance interaction with other related fields, such as international law and international relations. In addition, the Chair seeks to create new scientific content and promote knowledge exchange with broader Arctic communities, including students, academics, and stakeholders, through building partnerships and collaboration. The Chair also serves as the strategic lead and advisor for the UArctic in the Arctic law and governance field. The Chair functions in close cooperation with several UArctic Thematic Networks, particularly the Thematic Network on Law, and commits to contributing to inter-disciplinary research and education.

Aims and objectives

  • Creating content for scientific knowledge in Arctic law, governance, and policies.
  • Producing educational materials in Arctic law and governance.
  • Organizing undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral level teaching and training.
  • Networking and collaborating with scholars in Arctic law and governance.
  • Preparing research funding applications linked to the Chair's scope.
  • Conducting outreach activities and dissemination of knowledge.
  • Organizing academic events for national and international audiences.

Associate Fellows

A set of Associate Fellows, young scholars in the field, help facilitate the Chair's functions, whose roles are voluntary. However, they offer the Chair a consultative and advisory role in developing potential future programs and activities. The current Associate Fellows are:

  • Dr. Yuanyuan Ren, Post-doctoral Fellow, Hauser Global Fellow, School of Law, New York University, USA.
  • Mr. J. Miguel Roncero, International Relations Officer at European Commission, Brussels, Belgium.
  • Ms. Alessandra Cafà, Junior Researcher, T.M.C. Asser Instituut, Universiteit Utrecht, Netherlands, Doctoral candidate, University of Lapland, Finland.
  • Dr. Adnan Dal, Research Assistant, Firat University, Turkey.
  • Ms. Insuk Kim, Scholar in Greenlandic culture & Web Editor at Visit Greenland.

Chair and Contact

  • The Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law at the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland hosts the Chair.
  • Prof. Kamrul Hossain serves as the current Chair for 2022-2026.