Research Profile

Elena Kavanagh

Biography

Elena is an Assistant Lecturer at the School of Law, University College Cork. She is currently researching issues of Arctic governance, and indigenous rights and self-determination. Her areas of expertise are Polar law, international environmental law, and comparative law. She is also an Advisory Board of Directors member for the Arctic Youth Network. Elena is currently actively involved in the Network for Arctic Researchers in Ireland. As of August 2024, she is also a National Committee of Ireland representative for APECS (Association of Polar Early Career Scientists).

Elena has completed her thesis on “The Linguistic Rights of Indigenous Peoples within the Russian Federation" and successfully defended her PhD thesis in September 2024.

Publications:

'Ireland Looks North: Arctic Strategy for Ireland as a Near-Arctic State', Arctic Yearbook 2024 [UPCOMING].

‘Freedom of Association in the Russian Federation’, European Journal of Comparative Law and Governance (2024) [UPCOMING].  

 ‘Russian Federation: Mapping the legal landscape of freedom of association', Societās Working Paper 19/2024 (2004). Cork: School of Law, University College Cork.  

Arctic governance: An analysis of a treaty-based cooperation hypothesis’ Spanish Yearbook of International Law 27 (2024), 257-265. DOI: 10.36151/SYBIL.2024.013  

 ‘Book Review: The Proposed Nordic Saami Convention: National and International Dimensions of Indigenous Property Rights’, edited by N. Bankes and T. Koivurova International Journal on Minority and Group Rights (2014), 21(2): 293-296. DOI: 10.1163/15718115-02102005    
Language rights for indigenous peoples: the case of the Russian Federation’ The Yearbook of Polar Law (2013), Vol. 5, 523-546. DOI: 10.1163/22116427-91000135   

‘The Scope of Indigenous Language Rights in Russia’ (2013) Current Developments in Arctic Law, Vol. 1.

Major International Conferences and Presentations:  

Cambridge Conference on Catastrophic Risk, 16-18 September 2024, Cambridge, UK. The paper entitled “Weaving a Web of Resilience: Integrating Indigenous Knowledge in Global Catastrophic Risk”.

EISA Pan-European Conference on the International Relations, 28-30 August 2024, Lille, France. The paper entitled “Paradiplomacy and Indigenous Peoples: Saami’s Role in the Arctic Governance”.  

13th Annual Conference of the Cambridge International Law Journal “The Intersection of Peace and Sustainability in International Law”, 8-9 April 2024, Cambridge, UK. The paper entitled “The Divided Sámi: Indigenous Peoples’ Pursuit of Arctic Peace and Sustainability”.  

Mediterranean School of Dialogue, 11-14 January 2024, Tarifa, Spain. The paper entitled “International Framework for Cooperation Between Spain and Morocco”.  

Polar Law Symposium, 26-28 October, 2023, Tórshavn, (Faroe Islands). The paper entitled “Arctic Indigenous Peoples in Russia: International Protection for Language Rights”.  

UK Arctic Science Conference, 11-13 September, 2023, Cambridge, UK. The paper entitled “Arctic Governance: Treaty-Based Regime”.  

JUSTNORTH: Towards Just, Ethical and Sustainable Economies, Environments and Societies, June 2023, Madrid, Spain. The paper entitled “Arctic Governance in a Changing World”.

International Trainings, Courses and Study Sessions:  

Key Essentials: The Global Biodiversity Framework, Sustainable Development and the Law, University of Cambridge (online), May 2024.  

PG6012 Scholarly Approaches to Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Certificate, University College Cork, Ireland, May 2013.  

PG6003 Teaching and Learning for Graduate Studies Certificate, University College Cork, Ireland, May 2012.  

ESRC Seminar 4: “Subsidiarity, indigenous self-determination and other peoples of the Polar  regions”, Foresight centre, Liverpool, United Kingdom, May 2011.  

Study Session “Minorities in Europe – all different, all equal”, Youth of European Nationalities (YEN) in cooperation with the European Youth Centre/Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France, August 2009.  

Training for Trainers on Human Rights Education with Children, European Youth Centre/Council of Europe, Budapest, Hungary, October 2008.   

 39th Annual Study Session “Education and International Human Rights Law”, International Institute of Human Rights/Founded by Rene CASSIN, Strasbourg, France, June 2008 – July 2008.  

 36th Intensive Training Session for University Teaching and Research in Human Rights, International Centre for University Human Rights Teaching, Strasbourg, France, June 2008 – July 2008.  

Nordic Human Rights Research Training Course “Human Rights and Evidence”, Nordic School in Human Rights Research, Kuressaare, Estonia, June 2008.  

Training Course “Conflict Transformation and Multicultural Youth Work”, European Youth Centre/Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France, March 2005 – April 2005.    

Elena is an Assistant Lecturer at the School of Law, University College Cork. She is currently researching issues of Arctic governance, and indigenous rights and self-determination. Her areas of expertise are Polar law, international environmental law, and comparative law. She is also an Advisory Board of Directors member for the Arctic Youth Network. Elena is currently actively involved in the Network for Arctic Researchers in Ireland. As of August 2024, she is also a National Committee of Ireland representative for APECS (Association of Polar Early Career Scientists).

Elena has completed her thesis on “The Linguistic Rights of Indigenous Peoples within the Russian Federation" and successfully defended her PhD thesis in September 2024.

Publications:

'Ireland Looks North: Arctic Strategy for Ireland as a Near-Arctic State', Arctic Yearbook 2024 [UPCOMING].

‘Freedom of Association in the Russian Federation’, European Journal of Comparative Law and Governance (2024) [UPCOMING].  

 ‘Russian Federation: Mapping the legal landscape of freedom of association', Societās Working Paper 19/2024 (2004). Cork: School of Law, University College Cork.  

Arctic governance: An analysis of a treaty-based cooperation hypothesis’ Spanish Yearbook of International Law 27 (2024), 257-265. DOI: 10.36151/SYBIL.2024.013  

 ‘Book Review: The Proposed Nordic Saami Convention: National and International Dimensions of Indigenous Property Rights’, edited by N. Bankes and T. Koivurova International Journal on Minority and Group Rights (2014), 21(2): 293-296. DOI: 10.1163/15718115-02102005    
Language rights for indigenous peoples: the case of the Russian Federation’ The Yearbook of Polar Law (2013), Vol. 5, 523-546. DOI: 10.1163/22116427-91000135   

‘The Scope of Indigenous Language Rights in Russia’ (2013) Current Developments in Arctic Law, Vol. 1.

Major International Conferences and Presentations:  

Cambridge Conference on Catastrophic Risk, 16-18 September 2024, Cambridge, UK. The paper entitled “Weaving a Web of Resilience: Integrating Indigenous Knowledge in Global Catastrophic Risk”.

EISA Pan-European Conference on the International Relations, 28-30 August 2024, Lille, France. The paper entitled “Paradiplomacy and Indigenous Peoples: Saami’s Role in the Arctic Governance”.  

13th Annual Conference of the Cambridge International Law Journal “The Intersection of Peace and Sustainability in International Law”, 8-9 April 2024, Cambridge, UK. The paper entitled “The Divided Sámi: Indigenous Peoples’ Pursuit of Arctic Peace and Sustainability”.  

Mediterranean School of Dialogue, 11-14 January 2024, Tarifa, Spain. The paper entitled “International Framework for Cooperation Between Spain and Morocco”.  

Polar Law Symposium, 26-28 October, 2023, Tórshavn, (Faroe Islands). The paper entitled “Arctic Indigenous Peoples in Russia: International Protection for Language Rights”.  

UK Arctic Science Conference, 11-13 September, 2023, Cambridge, UK. The paper entitled “Arctic Governance: Treaty-Based Regime”.  

JUSTNORTH: Towards Just, Ethical and Sustainable Economies, Environments and Societies, June 2023, Madrid, Spain. The paper entitled “Arctic Governance in a Changing World”.

International Trainings, Courses and Study Sessions:  

Key Essentials: The Global Biodiversity Framework, Sustainable Development and the Law, University of Cambridge (online), May 2024.  

PG6012 Scholarly Approaches to Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Certificate, University College Cork, Ireland, May 2013.  

PG6003 Teaching and Learning for Graduate Studies Certificate, University College Cork, Ireland, May 2012.  

ESRC Seminar 4: “Subsidiarity, indigenous self-determination and other peoples of the Polar  regions”, Foresight centre, Liverpool, United Kingdom, May 2011.  

Study Session “Minorities in Europe – all different, all equal”, Youth of European Nationalities (YEN) in cooperation with the European Youth Centre/Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France, August 2009.  

Training for Trainers on Human Rights Education with Children, European Youth Centre/Council of Europe, Budapest, Hungary, October 2008.   

 39th Annual Study Session “Education and International Human Rights Law”, International Institute of Human Rights/Founded by Rene CASSIN, Strasbourg, France, June 2008 – July 2008.  

 36th Intensive Training Session for University Teaching and Research in Human Rights, International Centre for University Human Rights Teaching, Strasbourg, France, June 2008 – July 2008.  

Nordic Human Rights Research Training Course “Human Rights and Evidence”, Nordic School in Human Rights Research, Kuressaare, Estonia, June 2008.  

Training Course “Conflict Transformation and Multicultural Youth Work”, European Youth Centre/Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France, March 2005 – April 2005.    

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