Laura Mai

Climate change law, environmental law, transnational law, legal theory, socio-legal studies, global environmental and sustainability governance, Anthropocene governance

Laura Mai joined the Dickson Poon School of Law in October 2017 and is currently working on a PhD under the joint supervision of Dr Megan Bowman and Professor Davina Cooper.

Laura's doctoral research explores the role of transnational climate governance initiatives in the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Investigating the various forms of normative ordering that occur in global climate governance today, Laura combines qualitative social-science methods with doctrinal analysis and legal theory. 

Laura holds an LLM from the University of Cambridge and is qualified to practise law as a solicitor in England and Wales. She has worked for public sector and international organisations, including the German Foreign Office and the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat.

Laura is a research fellow of the Earth System Governance Network and member of the Berlin-based research platform Cluster Transformation. At King’s College, Laura co-founded and -convenes the interdisciplinary KCL Climate Law & Governance Reading Group and she has been teaching environmental law on the LLB undergraduate programme from 2018 to 2021. Since 2020, Laura convenes the introductory module on Law & Society. 

Laura can be contacted at: laura.mai(at)kcl.ac.uk

Laura's primary research focus is international climate change law. Her doctoral research applies qualitative methods to explore what the growing recognition of sub-national and non-state actors within and outside the UN climate regime means for our understanding of the nature and role of law in global climate governance. 

Other research interests include environmental law, transnational law, legal theory, socio-legal studies, global environmental and sustainability governance, and Anthropocene governance.