Dr Mitchell Lennan | The University of Aberdeen

Dr Mitchell Lennan

BSc (Hons), MSc, LLM, PhD

Lecturer

Accepting PhDs

About

Email Address: mitchell.lennan@abdn.ac.uk
Telephone Number: +44 (0)1224 272852
School/Department: School of Law

Biography

Dr Mitchell Lennan joined the Law School as a Lecturer in December 2022. He is Co Director of the Aberdeen University Centre of Energy Law (AUCEL).

Mitchell teaches and researches Public International Law, focusing on Law of the Sea and Environmental Law. He is interested in the international regulation of fisheries and marine biodiversity in the context of global environmental change. He has also contributed to several consultancies in International Environmental Law for the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the World Trade Organization, national governments, and non-governmental organisations.

He holds degrees from the Universities of Glasgow, Southampton, Edinburgh and Strathclyde. His PhD focused on the international legal obligation to adapt fisheries conservation and management measures to the effects of climate change.

Mitchell has participated in international dispute settlement, serving as Assistant to Counsel for the Republic of Maldives in the Dispute concerning delimitation of the maritime boundary between Mauritius and Maldives in the Indian Ocean (Mauritius/Maldives) before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in 2020. He also interned in the ITLOS Legal Office in 2018.

He was previously a Researcher with the UKRI GCRF One Ocean Hub, where he worked on a range of inter- and transdisciplinary projects on inclusive ocean governance. He has held positions at the University of Strathclyde and City St George's, University of London. He is Assistant Editor of the International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law and regularly represents the University at United Nations climate meetings.

Mitchell welcomes enquiries regarding potential PhD projects related to his areas of research.

Qualifications

BSc (Hons) Marine and Freshwater Biology
2013 - University of Glasgow
MSc Marine Science, Policy & Law
2014 - University of Southampton
LLM Global Environment and Climate Change Law
2017 - University of Edinburgh
PGCert Researcher Professional Development
2022 - University of Strathclyde
PhD International Environmental Law
2022 - University of Strathclyde

Memberships and Affiliations

Internal Memberships: Co Director, Aberdeen University Centre for Energy Law

Member, Aberdeen Centre for Constitutional and Public International Law

Member (LGBT+ Inclusion) School of Law Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee
External Memberships: Member, Cross-Party Group on Fisheries and Coastal Communities

Member (non-solicitor), The Law Society of Scotland's Marine Law Sub-Committee

Latest Publications

Response to the Call for Views on the Ecocide (Scotland) Bill by the Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee
2025 - Published
Ferguson, E., Lennan, M., Moran, C. F.
University of Aberdeen: School of Law. 5 pages.
Other Contributions: Other Contributions
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstreams/cfca5f43-e998-4ecb-9512-fea391d9c065/download
The World Trade Organization and Its Contribution to the Evolution of the Law of the Sea
2025 - Published
Lennan, M., Switzer, S.
The Presence of International Organizations in the Evolution of the International Law of the Sea: Thirty Years since the Entry into Force of UNCLOS. Oanta, G. (ed.). Brill | Nijhoff, pp. 85-118, 33 pages
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters (Peer-Reviewed)
- [ONLINE] https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/isbn/9789004716315/html?lang=en&srsltid=AfmBOoqQ2cMhYtIbEvnF3i13XuTG06bOY7c-hhsHykW8mRMNOLHJfp3y#overview
Climate Change and the Limits of International Fisheries Law
2024 - Published
Lennan, M.
Research Handbook on Climate Change and Biodiversity Law. Caddell, R., McCormack, P. (eds.). Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., pp. 114-138, 25 pages
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters
- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800370296.00013
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Ensuring mutual supportiveness of the Paris Agreement with other multilateral environmental agreements: A focus on ocean-based climate action
2024 - Published
Morgera, E., Lennan, M.
Research Handbook on the Law of the Paris Agreement. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., pp. 362-380, 19 pages
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters
- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800886742.00023
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Strengthening intergenerational equity at the ocean-climate nexus: Reflections on the uncrc general comment no. 26
2023 - Published
Morgera, E., Lennan, M.
Regulating Global Climate Change: From Common Concern to Planetary Concern. Desai, B. H. (ed.). IOS Press, pp. 121-135, 15 pages
Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters
- [ONLINE] https://ebooks.iospress.nl/publication/63755
- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3233/STAL230028
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus

View My Publications

Prizes and Awards

Winner, Aldo Leucci and Ortensio Degli Atti Award (2^nd edition) for the article ‘Leveraging International Fisheries Law for Maritime Security in the Anthropocene: Addressing Conflicts in Fisheries' together with Julia Nakamura and Kyle Fawkes in ACSOMARE Yearbook on the Law of the Sea (2023).

Research

Research Areas

Accepting PhDs

I am currently accepting PhDs in Law.

Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your research ideas further.

Email Me

Law

Supervising
Accepting PhDs

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Research Specialisms

Public International Law
European Union Law
Law

Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

Teaching

Courses

Publications

Update

Biography

Qualifications

Memberships and Affiliations

Latest Publications

Response to the Call for Views on the Ecocide (Scotland) Bill by the Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

The World Trade Organization and Its Contribution to the Evolution of the Law of the Sea

Climate Change and the Limits of International Fisheries Law

Ensuring mutual supportiveness of the Paris Agreement with other multilateral environmental agreements: A focus on ocean-based climate action

Strengthening intergenerational equity at the ocean-climate nexus: Reflections on the uncrc general comment no. 26

Prizes and Awards

Research Areas

Accepting PhDs

Law

Research Specialisms

Courses

Response to the Call for Views on the Ecocide (Scotland) Bill by the Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

The World Trade Organization and Its Contribution to the Evolution of the Law of the Sea

Climate Change and the Limits of International Fisheries Law

Ensuring mutual supportiveness of the Paris Agreement with other multilateral environmental agreements: A focus on ocean-based climate action

Strengthening intergenerational equity at the ocean-climate nexus: Reflections on the uncrc general comment no. 26

Ocean-based Climate Action and Human Rights Implications under the International Climate Change Regime

International Legal Responses for Protecting Fishers’ Fundamental Rights Impacted by a Changing Ocean

Introduction: Applying a Human Rights Lens to the Ocean-Climate Nexus

Introduction to Smart Ports and Robotic Systems: Navigating the Waves of Techno-Regulation and Governance

Lessons Learned from Maritime Nations Leading Autonomous Operations and Remote Inspection Techniques

Towards an International Guideline for RIT End-Users: Spearing Through Vessel Inspection and Hull Cleaning Techno-Regulatory Elements

Fisheries Redistribution under Climate Change: Rethinking the Law to Address the ‘Governance Gap’?

Leveraging International Fisheries Law for Maritime Security in the Anthropocene: Addressing Conflicts in Fisheries

Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies

Strengthening Intergenerational Equity at the Ocean-Climate Nexus: Reflections on the UNCRC General Comment No.26+

World Trade Organization Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies

The high seas: Adapting to changes in pelagic ecosystems

Transformative Governance for Ocean Biodiversity

The development of the law of the sea convention: the role of international courts and tribunals, by ØysteinJensen Published by Edward Elgar, 2020, xvii + 280 pp., £90.00, hardback.

The Glasgow Climate Conference (COP26)

A Synoptic Overview of Expert Opinion on Fisheries in a Post-Brexit World

Conclusions

Conservation of Fisheries Resources and Protection of the Marine Environment Post-Brexit: International Obligations

Disentanglement from the EU: Consequences for the UK’s Role in International Fisheries Organisations

Fisheries and the Law in Europe: Regulation After Brexit

Fisheries Enforcement in a Post-Brexit World

Introduction: The UK and EU Fishing Industries in Profile

The Fisheries Act 2020 and Devolution

Reflections on the Trilateral and Bilateral Fishing Negotiations Between the EU, UK and Norway

New Knowledge and Changing Circumstances in the Law of the Sea, edited by Tomas Heidar

Evaluating the Effectiveness of the EU Environmental Liability and Environmental Crime Directives as Implemented by Scotland and the Rest of the United Kingdom

Strengthening International Fisheries Law in an Era of Changing Oceans, edited by Richard Caddell and Erik J. Molenaar

2030 for the EU: Real steps of change? A short commentary on Biodiversity Strategy and Farm to Fork

The right to water for food and agriculture

Guidelines and Codes on the Participation of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities of the Convention on Biological Diversity: A Comparative Analysis Using Natural Language Processing

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