Julia Selman-Ayetey is the Dean of the Faculty of Law. She previously held academic positions at several universities, including King’s College London and the University of Oxford.  She is a Solicitor & Barrister of the Supreme Court of Ghana and called to the Bar in England and Wales (Middle Temple).

Julia is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a practising lawyer. She has advocated, researched, and advised pro bono in public interest cases involving citizens on death row, human rights violations, and international law in Africa, the Caribbean and Europe. In particular, she has assisted in cases before the European Court of Justice and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

As an alumnus of the highly-esteemed Institute of Criminology, Julia holds a Master’s degree from the University of Cambridge. She is currently a doctoral candidate at the Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University, where her research examines the relationship between non-state actors, norm generation and the making of international space law. She has a longstanding interest in law and governance as applied to science and new technologies and has been an advisor to the UK government as a former member of the National DNA Database Ethics Group.  

Julia has delivered presentations in many countries, including Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, England, Kenya, Paraguay, Scotland and the USA. She has published in reputable academic journals such as the Air and Space Law Journal, the African Journal of International and Comparative Law,and the Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal.