Fulbright scholar
The Fulbright Program is an academic exchange program of great international prestige, recognition achieved through the excellence of individual participants and institutional partners, and therefore attracting high-quality candidates.
This grant is targeted at US professors and researchers that wish to spend one academic semester at NOVA School of Law carrying out teaching and research activities within the topic of Law and Sustainability.
The protocol signed between NOVA School of Law and the Fulbright Commission is for a period of three years, covering the academic years between 2023/2024 and 2025/2026.
Specific features of the grant
The call covers the fields of law, economics, environmental sciences, history (non-American), information sciences and systems, international relations, philosophy, political science, psychology, public administration, public health, and sociology.
There is special interest in scholars with a legal background (or, for those with no legal background, those with an interest in trans, multi or cross disciplinary research involving legal systems) and to candidates who, in their respective fields, are dedicated to research projects that fulfil at least one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, namely to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity by 2030.
Preference will be also given to candidates whose research interests match one or several of NOVA School of Law’s strategic priorities which are as follows:
- The role of law in promoting the three pillars of sustainability: social, environmental, and economic (the research interests of the candidates may focus on only one of these pillars or several)
- Strengthening Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
- Law, Innovation and Digitalization
These three strategic priorities may include a range of topics covering the following SDGs:
- Peace, justice and security (SDG 16);
- Human rights in the digital age/ cybersecurity (SDG 9, 16);
- Decent work, responsible Business Conduct (SDG 8);
- Law and blue economy: the ocean (SDG 12, 13, 14);
- Law and green economy: energy and climate (SDG 7, 12, 13, 15);
- Alternative dispute resolution in the digital age (SDG 16);
- Right to sustainable and smart cities (SDG 11, 12);
- Regulation, policymaking and the digital transformation (SDGs 9, 16);
- Green taxation, social solidarity and public policies (SDG 1, 8);
- Human rights, access to justice and the rule of law (SDG 16);
- Sustainability and digitalization of financial markets (SDG 1, 8, 12);
- Compliance, enforcement and ESG (SDG 16);
- Data science, Artificial Intelligence and empirical legal studies (SDG 9, 16);
- Institutional governance and reform (SDG 16);
- Law, health and well-being (SDG 3);
- Gender Equality (SDG 5).Ideally, the research interests of the recipient of the award should also match the activities carried by any one of the knowledge centres of NOVA School of Law.
All information about this award, requirements, conditions and benefits is available here.
Applications for the 2nd edition run until 15 September 2023 and must be submitted via the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Programme website.
Previous Awards
The 1st edition (2023/24) of the Fulbright Scholarship in Law and Sustainability was awarded to Professor Burke Griggs of Washburn University.
Burke Griggs is a professor of law at Washburn University School of Law, where he teaches property, natural resources law, and legal history. His scholarship explores the historical, technical, and cultural aspects of natural resources law, especially water law. He has authored numerous scholarly articles and co-authors standard casebooks on water law and oil and gas law.
Previously, he represented the State of Kansas in federal and interstate water matters – most prominently Kansas v. Nebraska, an original action brought before the Supreme Court to enforce the Republican River Compact – and served as counsel of record for Kansas in the Kickapoo Tribe reserved water rights settlement.
He currently advises the U.S. Departments of Commerce and State on lithium-related matters in Latin America and serves on the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environmental Justice Working Group for the Midwest. He is affiliated with the Woods Institute for the Environment and the Bill Lane Center for the American West, both at Stanford University.
A Colorado native, Professor Griggs earned his B.A. from Stanford, his Ph.D. from Yale, and his J.D. from the University of Kansas.