UCL Laws announces appointments of new Vice-Dean positions

Dr Prince Saprai has been appointed as the new Vice-Dean (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion), and will be joining the Dean’s Team after Easter. This is a new role which will lead on the development of the Faculty’s equality, diversity and inclusion agenda.

Dr Prince Saprai is Associate Professor of UCL Laws. He has played a leading role over a number of years in the development of UCL’s race equality agenda. He is a member of UCL’s Race Equality Steering Group, the Provost’s Race Equality Charter Self-Assessment Team and is the Law Faculty’s BME Attainment Lead. He has written extensively on the philosophy of contract law, and on philosophical puzzles relating to a variety of doctrines in this field. His monograph, Contract Law Without Foundations: Toward a Republican Theory of Contract Law, was recently published by Oxford University Press.

Dr Martin Petrin has been appointed as Vice-Dean (Innovation and Enterprise) and will commence his term in September this year. The role will support the development and delivery of the UCL innovation and enterprise strategy and ensure its alignment within UCL Laws’ strategy.

Dr Petrin is an Associate Professor at UCL Laws. Dr Petrin’s research interests are in corporate, corporate governance, and business law, often from a comparative perspective. Most recently, his research has focused on corporate regulation, corporate theory, and the impact of artificial intelligence and technology on management. He recently co-authored Corporate Duties to the Public (published by Cambridge University Press), which explores the deepening connections between corporations and the public.

Professor Eloise Scotford and Professor Carsten Gerner-Beuerle have been jointly appointed as Vice-Dean (Research). Professor Scotford will commence her role from September, and will lead on the Faculty’s REF submission for the next academic year. Professor Gerner-Beuerle will take over in late 2020, leading the Faculty’s efforts to improve research performance.

Professor Scotford’s research covers many aspects of environmental law, with a focus on the legal treatment of environmental principles, air quality law, climate change governance, waste law, and legislative and adjudicative processes as they relate to the environment. Professor Scotford has recently given evidence on the government’s Draft Environment Bill 2018, which sets out how the UK will maintain environmental standards after Brexit.

Professor Gerner-Beuerle is Professor of Commercial Law at UCL Laws. His main research interests are in corporate law, capital markets regulation, law and finance, and economic analysis of law. He is a research member of the European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) and has prepared studies for the European Commission and the European Parliament on the reform of corporate governance, financial regulation, and private international law.

Dr Rob George will commence his term as Vice-Dean (Programme Delivery and Development) in January 2020. Dr George will be responsible for planning and executing teaching allocation to accommodate the needs of the Faculty’s programmes, as well as overseeing and reviewing the delivery of the programmes by teaching staff.

Dr George is Associate Professor of Family Law at UCL Laws. Dr George researches principally in Child and Family Law, with a particular focus on matters relating to international disputes involving children. He is an acknowledged expert in relocation disputes, abduction and international jurisdictional disputes involving children and families. Dr George convenes the LLB Family Law and the LLM Children and their Rights modules, and teaches as part of the LLB Laws Connections team.

Professor Alison Diduck, Vice-Dean (Staffing) at UCL Laws, commented:

“I would like to congratulate all the new Vice-Deans on their appointments and I look forward to working with them as part of the Dean’s Team. I would also like to thank the outgoing Vice-Deans, who have all contributed enormously to the Faculty over the past few years – it has been a real pleasure working with them.”