Western Law Faculty Members Elected to Prestigious Oxford Visiting Fellowships
April 28, 2026
Two Western Law faculty members have been elected to prestigious visiting fellowships at the University of Oxford for the 2026-2027 academic year, reflecting the Faculty's strength in international and comparative law scholarship.
Professor Ryan Liss has been elected to the Oliver Smithies Visiting Fellowship at Balliol College, one of Oxford's most distinguished visiting positions. The Oliver Smithies Fellowship, established through a generous donation by Professor Oliver Smithies, brings distinguished academic visitors from abroad to deliver University-wide lectures on subjects of their choosing. The fellowship is designed to ensure that current and future students benefit from exposure to the ideas of leading visiting academics.
As part of his appointment, Professor Liss will deliver two University-wide Smithies Lectures on his research and will serve as a supernumerary Fellow of Balliol College for the duration of his stay. The Smithies Fellowship has previously been held by professors from Princeton, Toronto, Columbia, UCLA, Cornell, and other leading institutions.
During his time at Oxford, Professor Liss will work on his book Crimes Against the Sovereign Order, under contract with Oxford University Press. The book draws on legal theory, political theory, and legal history to propose a new framework for understanding international criminal law—arguing that it should be understood as protecting the system of states in a way that facilitates each state's ability to protect the rights of persons. Professor Liss will also hold a Research Visitor position at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights.
Professor Joanna Langille has been elected to multiple fellowships at Oxford, including the Robert S. Campbell Visiting Fellowship in Law at Magdalen College and a Visiting Fellowship at St. Catherine's College. She will also serve as an Academic Visitor at the Institute of European and Comparative Law.
The Robert S. Campbell Visiting Fellowship at Magdalen College is awarded to established legal scholars conducting research in law, with particular emphasis on commercial law, competition law, constitutional law, and contract law. St. Catherine's Visiting Fellowships are reserved for scholars with demonstrable research presence at a national or international level.
During her time at Oxford, Professor Langille will advance an extended research project titled "Private Rights in International Perspective," which explores how our normative and conceptual justifications for private rights must be re-examined when we recognize that such rights do not exist solely within a single domestic legal order. She will deliver a lecture on her research to the Fellows at St. Catherine's College.
Professor Langille, who previously completed graduate studies at Oxford, expressed her excitement about returning to the university where she started one of her graduate degrees twenty years ago.
"These appointments reflect the caliber of scholarship our faculty members are producing and Western Law's standing in the international legal community," said Dean Mohamed Khimji. "Professors Liss and Langille's work on international criminal law, human rights, and comparative private law exemplifies the Faculty's commitment to addressing fundamental questions about law's role in a global context. We're proud to see their research recognized at this level."
Western Law has a long-standing tradition of excellence in international and comparative law, with faculty members regularly contributing to global conversations on human rights, international criminal justice, and cross-border legal frameworks. The Faculty's strength in these areas is reflected in its curriculum, research output, and the international recognition its scholars receive.
Both Professor Liss and Professor Langille will be in residence at Oxford during the 2026-2027 academic year.
