Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) has been awarded two of the UK’s five Jean Monnet Chairs. Both positions are based at QMUL’s Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS).
A Jean Monnet Chair is a prestigious teaching post with a specialisation in European Union studies. The awards are made by the European Commission to individual academics in recognition of outstanding scholarly activity.
Dr Raphael Heffron, Senior Lecturer in Energy and Natural Resources Law at CCLS, has been awarded a Chair for his work on energy and natural resources law and policy. This is only the second time that a Jean Monnet Char has been awarded in Energy Law. The previous holder was held in the 1990s by the late and esteemed international energy lawyer Professor Thomas W. Wälde.
Professor Rafael Leal-Arcas, Professor of European and International Economic Law and Director of Research at CCLS, has been awarded the first ever Jean Monnet Chair in EU International Economic Law in the UK for his contribution to the field. This Chair will allow cutting-edge teaching and research in the field of EU international economic law.
The European Commission has also awarded a €14 million grant to a pan-European consortium of 21 institutions to conduct cutting-edge research on smart grids and renewable energy. CCLS is part of this consortium, where Professor Leal-Arcas is the Principal Investigator. The duration of the grant is 42 months.
Professor Spyros Maniatis, Head of CCLS, said: “To be awarded two of the five UK Chairs is a superb achievement for QMUL and it is a tribute to the international reputations of Dr Heffron and Professor Leal-Arcas. Their efforts further enhance our position as a global leader in the study of commercial law.”
The Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) at Queen Mary University of London specialises in the knowledge and skills in commercial law that can be placed at the service of government, public bodies, overseas institutions, the legal profession, industry and commerce.
The Centre for Commercial Law Studies is based in the heart of legal London at the postgraduate law centre in Lincoln's Inn Fields. CCLS and the Department of Law are the two departments within the School of Law at Russell Group Member, Queen Mary University of London.
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