About Us
Meet the BlueRights community
At the heart of BlueRights is a diverse community of experts committed to advancing human rights at sea.
Here, we introduce the people who lead and support the Action, showcasing their backgrounds, areas of expertise, and the work they contribute across BlueRights’ activities.
The Team
Action Chair
Professor Anna Petrig is the Chair of the BlueRights COST Action and the Grant Holder Scientific Representative. She is Professor of International and Public Law at the University of Basel in Switzerland, and the Co-Rapporteur of the International Law Association (ILA) Committee on Protection of People at Sea.
Action Chair
Prof Anna Petrig
Professor Anna Petrig is the Chair of the BlueRights COST Action
Professor Irini Papanicolopulu is the Vice Chair of BlueRights. She is the British Academy Global Professor of International Law at the SOAS University of London in the United Kingdom, and the Chair of the ILA Committee on Protection of People at Sea.
Action Vice-Chair
Prof Irini Papanicolopulu
Professor Irini Papanicolopulu is the Vice Chair of BlueRights. She is
Konstantinos Papanikolopoulos is the Grant Holder Manager of the BlueRights COST Action. He is a licensed Civil Engineer (M.Eng, M.Sc) with more than two decades of experience in engineering consulting and scientific project management.
Grant Holder Manager
Konstantinos Papanikolopoulos
Konstantinos Papanikolopoulos is the Grant Holder Manager of the BlueRights COST
Core Group
Professor Richard Barnes is the Coordinator of Working Group 1. He is Professor of International Law at the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom, and Adjunct Professor of Law at the Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea (NCLOS) at the UiT-The Arctic University of Norway
WG1 Coordinator
Prof Richard Barnes
Professor Richard Barnes is the Coordinator of Working Group 1. He
Kristina Siig is a professor of Maritime Law and Law of the Sea at the University of Southern Denmark. Her research focuses on the interaction between private law aspects of International Maritime Law and the public law rules of the Law of the Sea.
WG2 Coordinator
Prof Kristina SIIG
Kristina Siig is a professor of Maritime Law and Law of
Dr Sofia Galani is the Coordinator of Working Group 3. She is an Assistant Professor in Public International Law at Panteion University, Greece and a Scientific Advisor to the Hellenic Parliament.
WG3 Coordinator
Dr Sofia Galani
Dr Sofia Galani is the Coordinator of Working Group 3. She
Dr Jessica Schechinger is the Science Communication Coordinator for BlueRights. She is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea (NCLOS) at the UiT-The Arctic University of Norway
Science Communication Coordinator
Dr Jessica Schechinger
Dr Jessica Schechinger is the Science Communication Coordinator for BlueRights. She
Professor Nele Matz-Lück is the Coordinator of the BlueRights Mentoring Programme. She is Co-Director of the Walther Schücking Institute for International Law and professor for Public International Law, particularly the Law of the Sea, at Kiel University.
Mentoring Program Coordinator
Prof Nele Matz Lück
Professor Nele Matz-Lück is the Coordinator of the BlueRights Mentoring Programme.
Professor Ana Nikodinovska Krstevska is the Diversity Coordinator for BlueRights. She is a Full professor in EU Law and European Integrations at the Goce Delcev University, Stip in North Macedonia and also Vice Rector for International Cooperation. She is the Project coordinator of the ACE2EU European University Alliance for Goce Delcev University.
Diversity Coordinator
Prof Ana Nikodinovska Krstevska
Professor Ana Nikodinovska Krstevska is the Diversity Coordinator for BlueRights. She
Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli is an independent international ocean expert and the former Director of the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs, United Nations. She is a member of the International Law Association (ILA) Committee on the Protection of People at Sea.
Stakeholder Engagement Coordinator
Gabriele Goettsche Wanli
Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli is an independent international ocean expert and the former
Management Committee
Governing body of the Action
National representatives steering the Action
Member
Expert community
An interdisciplinary community shaping BlueRights’ work
Members of BlueRights contribute their expertise across disciplines and countries, participating in Working Groups and collaborative activities that advance research, dialogue, and impact on human rights at sea.