Azarias Ruberwa: prominent lawyer and a significant figure in African politics and diplomacy. He was Vice President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2003–2006). Mr. Ruberwa is currently a practicing attorney at Cabinet d’Avocats Azarias Ruberwa, which he founded in 1993.
Country: El Congo
Research topic: His research focuses on African states' challenges of attracting and retaining investment while ensuring effective protection of investor rights.
Faculty host: Prof. Horacio A. Grigera Naón – Prof. Bjorn Arp
Azarias Ruberwa engaged with the Center on International Commercial Arbitration in Summer 2025, completing advanced coursework on damages, evidence, and issues of corruption and illegality in international arbitration. Focusing on international arbitration as a risk-mitigation tool, his work aims to develop practical, balanced recommendations to strengthen arbitration frameworks, protect investor rights, uphold national sovereignty, and promote sustainable economic development.

 

Giulia  Alves Fardim: Ph. D. candidate in the Legal Philosophy Research at the University of Girona, Catalonia, Spain
Country: Brazil
Research topic: Her research focuses on the intersection of technology and judicial procedure, particularly how artificial intelligence-generated evidence is produced, validated, and interpreted in criminal and civil trials. The project critically examines visual and digital evidence through epistemological and procedural lenses, with a special emphasis on due process and evidentiary standards.
Faculty host: Prof. Gustavo Ribeiro




 

 

Thais Costa Teixeira Viana: Ph.D. in Law from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, where she received the “José Joaquim Calmon de Passos” Award for the best Procedural Law dissertation defended in Brazil in 2022. She was a visiting researcher at Yale Law School during 2022–2023
Country: Brazil
Research topic: Her research focuses on a comparative analysis of complex collective litigation in the United States and Brazil, examining the U.S. Supreme Court’s limitation of nationwide injunctions in Trump v. CASA, Inc. (2025), the resulting renewed emphasis on class actions, and how these developments parallel and differ from the rise of structural litigation in Brazil, particularly with respect to participation, representation, democratic legitimacy, and judicial responses to systemic constitutional and institutional failures.
Faculty host: Prof. Gustavo Ribeiro

 

 

Nguyen Hồng Thao: Ambassador Thao is a Vietnamese diplomat and international lawyer. He is a Member of the UN International Law Commission. Professor of International Law. Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and National University of Hanoi, Vietnam. 
Country: Vietnam
Research topic: Vietnam’s law of the Sea in the US-Vietnam relations. His study analyzes Vietnam’s maritime laws and policies since 1975, U.S. and international responses to them, and the evolution of U.S.–Vietnam cooperation on law of the sea issues in the South China Sea. It focuses on baseline claims, innocent passage and freedom of navigation, cooperation on maritime security and environmental protection, responses to illegal fishing, defense relations across U.S. administrations, third-party involvement in regional frameworks, and legal issues related to the continental shelf and high seas governance.

Faculty host: Claudio Grossman
 

Jasmine Cameron: Senior international legal advisor and scholar with experience promoting rule of law, human rights, and democratic governance across Europe and Eurasia. 
Country: Kryszygstan
Research topic: Her research examines how legal institutions shape the protection of rule of law, corporate accountability and human rights in the context of business and foreign investments in the region of Europe and Eurasia


Faculty host: Prof. Fernanda Nicola
 

 

Chiara Malvano: Italian student from Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II working on her thesis: Law and Cinema in a historiographical perspective
Country: Italy
Research topic: Her thesis examines the historical development of copyright law in response to the mass dissemination of film and the challenge of piracy. Adopting a comparative perspective, it analyzes key cases in Europe and the United States, with particular attention to the intersection of copyright and media law. The research explores the reciprocal relationship between law and film, highlighting how cinematic innovation has shaped legal concepts of art and cultural significance while posing new regulatory challenges for lawmakers.

Faculty host: Prof. Fernanda Nicola




 

 

Alessandro Giovanni Masotti: Italian PhD student in Public Comparative law, at University of Studies of Udine, Italy.
Country: Italy
Research topic: Comparison of legal systems, organs or institutions belonging to different countries, parliamentary law and functioning of committees of inquiry within the European Parliament. The goal is to understand and then compare how investigative power is exercised by the Italian parliament, the European parliament, and the U.S. Congress.

Faculty host: Prof. Fernanda Nicola


 

Gabriele Farina: Italian student from Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II working on his thesis: “Artificial Intelligence and Corporate Governance”
Country: Italy
Research topic: His research project explores the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into corporate governance frameworks, focusing on its legal, ethical, and regulatory implications. Through a comparative analysis between the European Union and the United States, the study examines issues such as the legal status of AI, directors’ liability, and algorithmic decision-making. Concrete case studies, including companies that have implemented AI on their boards, support the analysis.

Faculty host: Prof. Fernanda Nicola

 

 

Thiago Andre Pierobom de Avila: Associate Staff, IACHR, USA; Associate Professor of Law, PhD program of UniCEUB, FESMPDFT and ESMPU, Brazil 
Country: Brazil
Research topic: Access to justice for women based on the standards of the inter-American human rights system
Faculty host: Prof. Claudia Martin
Thiago is a member of the Brazilian Public Ministry, specializing in domestic and family violence against women in Brasília. Currently on leave from his duties, he is serving as an associate staff member at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in Washington, DC. As a visiting scholar, he is also collaborating with the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at WCL, contributing to its initiatives in human rights and humanitarian law.

 

Mosi Marcela Meza Figueroa: WCL Graduate student. LL.M. in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at WCL
Country: Peru
Research topic: Constitutional law and human rights law
Faculty host: Prof. Claudia Martin
Mosi’s passion for human rights was reinforced during her graduate studies when she joined the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law as the academic program coordinator for the Independent Panel to Evaluate Candidates for the Inter-American Human Rights System Bodies. This experience motivated her to return to WCL as a visiting scholar, where she can engage with specialized resources and networks to advance her research and contribute to WCL’s human rights initiatives.

 

Parinaz Tofighi: PhD candidate at the University of Bern, Switzerland
Country: Iran
Research topic: Gender Equality in Political Participation and Public Life: International Human Rights Law with Analysis of Women's Political and Public Participation in Iran
Faculty host: Prof. Claudia Martin
Parinaz is conducting research on gender equality in political participation and public life, with a particular focus on Iran. Her Ph.D. dissertation, “Gender Equality in Political Participation and Public Life: International Human Rights Law with Analysis of Women's Political and Public Participation in Iran,” examines the intersection of international human rights law and women's political representation. As a visiting scholar in the International Visiting Scholar program, she seeks to deepen her research and expand her expertise in this field.

 

Rubina Bhatti: Human rights defender and scholar from Pakistan
Country: Pakistan
Research topic: A Human Rights Approach to Interfaith Relations Among Children in Pakistan
Faculty host: Eduardo Bertoni
Rubina is conducting research on “A Human Rights Approach to Interfaith Relations Among Children in Pakistan.” Her work focuses on promoting human rights through education as a means to foster interfaith understanding among children. She believes that the resources, expertise, and collaborative opportunities at WCL will significantly enrich her research, enabling her to develop innovative approaches to improving interfaith relations through a human rights lens.

 

Lucia Chiban Zamar Country: Argentina
Research topic: Gender inequalities when intersect with areas of environmental justice, toxics and human rights, and emerging technologies, with a particular focus on the impact on women and gender diverse communities.

Lucia’s research focuses on accelerating the mainstreaming of gender justice across various legal and policy frameworks. Her goal is to examine the nuances and complexities of gender inequalities when intersect with areas of environmental justice, toxics and human rights, and emerging technologies, with a particular focus on the impact on women and gender diverse communities.