I started my PhD journey without knowing anything about the process or academic life. But the last 4 years showed me that it’s fun, exciting, and rewarding.
Yesterday I defended my PhD.
I am happy, relieved, and eternally grateful for everyone who helped me get here 🙏🫶
Can’t believe I am writing this: beginning September 2025, I will be joining
@HECParis
as an Assistant Professor in the Law & Tax Department and prior that, in just a few weeks, I am heading to
@EUI_EU
to start as a Max Weber Fellow!
I am finally at the stage of realizing that asking a person “how is your research going” or “when do you plan to submit the manuscript” is almost as inappropriate as asking a woman of when she is getting kids.
And my life’s new chapter begins: I am starting as a scholar in residence at NYU‘s
@humanrightsnyu
for the spring semester 🥳
Mega existed about this opportunity (thanks to the one and only
@MPILheidelberg
) and look forward to meeting my NYC Twitter friends (so please DM me😉)
Congratulations to the most creative contributor to the international legal scholarship
@ntinatzouvala
who received
#asil2022
book prize for her orange devil 😈
Today, the ICJ made history once again. The decisions of the 2023-2024 bench will be studied by students for years to come. Most importantly, this legacy should not merely endure as history but demonstrate the power of law to deliver justice and create a better world
My first peer-reviewed article is out with
@Ger_Law_Journal
😭
The article is based on my working paper from last year, where I showcase the challenges of a female ECR from the Global South who is trying to navigate the field of international law.
Wow, this is amazing!
A new edition of
@PhilipGAlston
’s textbook on International Human Rights Law is available open access! What a gift for all the students who cannot afford expensive textbooks (but also teachers, who often equally cannot afford them)!
My first full-fledged article related to my dissertation is out with
@MichJIntl_Law
😱The article explores how private foundations espouse transitional justice processes around the globe and what role international law plays in such 'philanthropic justice'
An essay about the experiences of a global south lawyer confronted with the reality of the int legal sphere. This is quite a personal piece but I guess many can relate to it. I am not discovering America here but hope it will help you to reflect on your experiences as well.
Int'l law
#academia
is far from overcoming
#inequality
& entry barriers to marginalised groups & countries. In
#MPIL
Research Paper No. 2021-11
@SSRN
@j_emtseva
shares her experiences & reflects on how to build a better environment for future generations
@Heidi__Matthews
has been so bravely vocal about atrocities committed by BOTH Israel and Hammas from the start. And this is what you get when you stand against injustice. Being a woman with opinions has always been a challenge in this platform but this is just bonkers
Delighted to announce that from today at 4 pm I am starting a prestigious and competitive visiting tour at the UN Headquarters, for which I got the grant and payed 15$ instead of 22$. Thanks everyone for your support 🙏
Another good thing this ICJ hearing illustrated is that the world, including IL (adjudication), is changing. It’s not enough anymore to be a renowned expert. Compassion, empathy, professionalism, clarity, performance - all what SA showed us yesterday - is the way to make a change
What exactly makes colonialism a matter of international law? In this review essay I discuss the crime of forced displacement, building up on
@philippesands
’ fascinating tale about the struggle for justice by the Chagossians.
Comments are very welcome 🙏
2023 was both beautiful & challenging - but at its dawn a full draft of this👹was born. 42 months after the birth of this idea, it's finally ready to face the realities of the world! I am immensely grateful to all those who nourished this project, helping it become a manuscript🫶
Now that the web pages of the Max Weber Fellows
@EUI_EU
are up, it feels real 🤩 Can't wait to get to Florence later this week - a city I have never visited so I'm ultra excited as everyone told me it is ✨
To all my international law colleagues and friends: if you write about the current situation and want to analyze official speeches or statements, I am happy to help with Russian and Ukrainian (but I am not a 🇺🇦 native speaker) translations.
Today I got 3 rejections of my abstracts (all related to my PhD project) for different conferences. Although feeling relieved, I do not know how to fight the feeling that my research is irrelevant, uninteresting, unsexy and nobody wants to listen to me elaborating on it 😆
Delighted to announce that starting today, I'm taking up a new role as editor of my PhD thesis. My biggest gratitude goes to my friends, who declined the offer to do the work. Today also marks the last 6 months of my 20s so I'm very excited about all the thesis adventures ahead☺️
Really admiring the counsels speaking in front of the ICJ bench and thousands online viewers because I think I would burst in tears while trying to prove something as terrible as what happens to the victims of these heinous atrocities
Please welcome Dr. Bagchi
@kanad_bagchi
(who is not yet allowed to use his title because well, it’s Germany but we certainly are 😛)
To new successes, my dear friend ✊👏 so incredibly proud of you!
I start teaching next week for the first time (apart from guest lectures and a class I read almost 5 years ago) 😱 Very nervous so please share your best advice for aspiring teachers 🙏
The rigorosum (aka my PhD viva) is happening in a week, June 20 in Berlin 🙀 Still hard to believe that the PhD journey is coming to an end🥲
Please send all your thoughts, prayers, spells (whatever really, I take everything ) & stop by for a celebration (🤞) if you are around!
There is a special place in heaven for senior academics and practitioners who willingly and with interest engage with their younger colleagues / students 💔
The
@AJIL_andUnbound
symposium on the 150 Years of the IDI & ILA is out!
In my essay, I discuss IDI's elitism & identity as the "legal conscience of the civilized world" and how it impacted some of its work throughout the years.
A lot to unpack in the ICJ advisory opinion on Palestine, but I want to highlight the important intersectional analysis, including on the basis of gender, in Judge Charlesworth's declaration--something that we don't often see from the ICJ. 👏🏾
There is always a rainbow after the rain 😅
Thank you all sooo much for your kind words of support. It is amazing to feel that you are supported by the smartest, kindest, and such interesting and successful people!
This kind of posts just freak me out. As an ECR soon to be on the job market,what should I expect if now even pre-docs have publications?
Let’s have an honest conversation, ppl from hiring com-s: what are the current real expectations for PhDs trying to get an academic position?
My jaws keep dropping as I go through 70 PhD applicant files. People w/ 2 coauthored papers & an interesting solo writing sample don’t even make it to the top 10 in my pile.
The level of knowledge, research experience & passion these kids bring to the table is just remarkable! 🤩
Just had the first class as a visiting lecturer at the Riga Graduate School of Law (human rights institutions and mechanisms)! Thanks again for those who shared their advice on teaching — super helpful and I think I used all your suggestions 🤩
BREAKING: Mexico to institute proceedings against Ecuador at the International Court of Justice
@CIJ_ICJ
following the storming of its Embassy in Quito by police.
In preparation for next week's
#masterclass
with Philipp Dann, our
#MPIL
researchers and Armin von Bogdandy spent a retreat at the beautiful Schöntal Monastery. Learn more about the masterclass:
Exactly 5 years ago, I started my law studies in Kyiv. I still remember that feeling of surprise of how stunning the city, whole country and its people are.
Today I pray for everyone there and go through the pics from Ukraine 🇺🇦 where I laughed, loved, worked &found best friends
ok, an honest conversation: what is the purpose of citation formats? Is it more for a visual appeal or there is actually a purpose of sticking to one particular style? I don't see the added value of special rules as long as the author, title, page, volume, and link are there
Yaaay, I am so happy about this opportunity! It will be my second in-person conference since the start of my PhD! Fingers crossed for the unchanged plans and hope to see some of you in Miami 🌴
I reiterate again: we can’t afford overlooking or ignoring developments in the places that are not in the int media spotlight - be in Iran or Central Asia.
My take on why the KG-TJ conflict should deserve more attention and why calling a war “border clashes” is inappropriate 👇
Has anyone taught a course on non-state actors and international law? I am designing a syllabus for 8*3-hour sessions and would love your input on potential topics, including suggested readings, relevant cases, and engaging exercises. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! 🙏
So grateful for my UN headquarters experience because it well prepared me for my next step: a tour of the Peace Palace, where I had the chance to present my views on the ICJ Nicaragua v Colombia case in an empty room 😊
Couldn’t have done it without your support!
Delighted to announce that from today at 4 pm I am starting a prestigious and competitive visiting tour at the UN Headquarters, for which I got the grant and payed 15$ instead of 22$. Thanks everyone for your support 🙏
My review essay on
@philippesands
Last Colony is out with
@jihls
I elaborate on the crime of forced displacement & its role in furthering the UK&US imperial ambitions in the Chagos colonization context. Sadly, this theme resonates in other contexts too...
Started teaching in Lille and as much as I love France, I still struggle with a couple of things: why it’s so hard for sellers at boulangeries to understand that I want a 🥐 (even with the worst accent one could guess it) and why my students call me madame and not mademoiselle😆
Please don’t leave Twitter 🥺 How will I survive my upcoming last year of my PhD without this community?
But if you still (cruelly) decide to abandon those who are not migrating to other social networks, hit me with your best advice of dos and don’ts in the final PhD year 🙏
Drop everything you are doing now and celebrate this ⭐️ (that was already born a long time ago) but today officiated with the formal defense on the road to being Dr.
@silviasteiningr
👩🏻🎓
Watch out for the book that will be foundational for so many future scholarly inquiries!
Proud Max Planckers at
#ESIL2023
celebrating the prize winning book of this year, edited by our own
@AnnePetersMPIL
together with her colleagues Jérôme de Hemptinne & Robert Kolb 🥳
@MPILheidelberg
If you see an employment/study opportunity for people from 🇺🇦and 🇷🇺, please share it as a comment here.
@DurdiyevaSelbi
had a great idea of helping students/academics to find and apply for jobs/universities/grants. It would be useful to list such opportunities in one place. RT 🙏🏻
I have this constant excitement for a miraculous email that will change my (career) life. I haven’t applied for anything and don’t plan to in the near future and I just don’t know how to spot the source of this weird feeling and how to fight it because I want my calm life back 😆
Wishing for no better young female representation in the face of
@EtkinBasak
on an almost manel (yes — the conference theme is inclusiveness/exclusiviness!)
#ESIL2022
My Parisian homeoffice. Also, happy to report that there has been no improvement in my French (despite all the classes) and now I am shy to even order a croissant.
I hated going to a hairdresser in 🇰🇬 bc I only heard that my hair is shit bc an average woman there has a thick long mane. But in 🇩🇪, I get compliments bc my hair here is normal.
Moral: if your scholarship is not supported — change the jurisdiction. Everything is relative 😆
I feel like I am the most privileged academic in the world because I have access to two (perhaps biggest) legal libraries in the world🥲 I found all pieces that were suggested to me yesterday -- incredible feeling 🤩
Very excited about this appointment and all the future projects with my fellow committee members! We welcome your proposals on what you would like to see in the activities of the IG. If you have an idea for an event, please do let us know.
Watch the space for CfAs & events👇
Big news for the interest group: we now have a completely new co-ordinating committee:
@j_emtseva
,
@CalebHWheeler
,
@galand_s
and Claudio Pala have been appointed to continue the work of the IG on International Criminal Justice.
I am very grateful to all the cool people I met in Stockholm. It was truly a highlight of the event. Sadly, misogynists and abusers are still there. I thought the time to respect (esp female) ECRs has come,but 🤷♀️ My proudest moment was that I had the guts to report on those jerks
Yours truly Captain JE went on an important mission today: I saved
@EtkinBasak
from another day of grading and took her to a cat cafe. While we failed to get into the Nürnberg Tribunal, my report concludes by very positive remark that we still had FUN 🦸🏻♀️+👩🏻🏫=❤️
I am so confused about the legal profession right now. Why some of us use the knowledge of law to say that because some horrific act is not actually enshrined in any laws, there should be no condemnation of it coming from “less knowledgeable, illiterate” CSOs & NGOs 😣
I don’t remember when I finished a book in 2 days. The new gem by
@philippesands
reads particularly acute given the current mood of former British colonies to seek cutting all the connections to the Crown and Empire.
A Ukrainian
@k_gorobets
and a Kyrgyz entered a hipster coffee place in Tel Aviv to discuss the non-legalistic imperial project of Russia. What happened next?
Today is my 2nd anniversary at
@MPILheidelberg
! It is not always easy to be surrounded by the academic excellence of my wonderful colleagues but I keep in mind the mantra "if you are the smartest in the room you are in the wrong room",which helps me to value what I have even more
I think I have a brilliant idea: let’s just create an old but gold WhatsApp group and post there our thoughts and people will reply or put ❤️ or 👍. Why to move to some complex platforms when we have the solution right before our eyes!
I have a transitional justice joke but political scientists, sociologists, anthropologists, and peacebuilders say lawyers have no expertise to joke about it ☹️
Celebrating quasi-twitterless
@EtkinBasak
today! I am sure many of you would love to do the same because she is the most wonderful human being, smart badass lawyer, and a one-in-a-galaxy friend ❤️
And my month-long vacation finishes today in (finally) sunny Paris! Now countdown to
#PhDone
🤞 send me everything you have in your cultures that brings luck and productivity!
It's finally out! My op-ed on
@justiceinfonet
discusses the private sector's involvement in
#TransitionalJustice
mechanisms and looks at it from the perspective of international law.
A call for finding my third boss! Please share widely and consider nominating someone or yourself, Heidelberg is pretty, MPIL is literally one of the best places to do research, and the nicest thing is that you can bring your dog!!!
📢 Call for Nominations: Third Director Position at Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law
We invite nominations and self-nominations for the role of the third Director at our institute by March 31, 2024.
Further details:
The most epic
#schooltrip
has begun 😍 So happy to be in Lisbon for
#LSA2022
with my best friends-colleagues!
We have passed the security checked twice w/
@AJrGolia
bc we accidentally went out from the transit zone but we made it 😆
Let us know if you are also in Lisbon ☺️
Could help but notice that all who cited this tweet are women. Unless we have enough men in our team, the ICJ will remain the “International Court of Male Justice”.
I dream about
#Charlesworth
to be elected. IL needs such experts. Yet, without men’s support this might not happen
I can’t believe we live in the world where brutal police violence is used against young, brave, progressive, empathetic students and not against those killing or ordering to kill thousands of innocent people.