Eve Lester

Dr. Eve Lester is a DECRA Fellow at the Australian National University College of Law with over 30 years of experience in refugee, migration, and human rights law. Her research examines the historical development of domestic and international legal frameworks affecting displaced populations, employing methodologies including critical discourse analysis and oral history.

Research Focus: Her work explores sovereignty concepts in migration law, refugee rights protections, and socio-legal accounts of forced displacement. Current projects include a DECRA-funded study of Cambodian 'boat people' and co-leading the 'Rewriting Jurisprudence' initiative centering refugee-lived experiences in legal scholarship.

Professional Impact: Advisor to NGOs, UN agencies, and governments globally. Recipient of the 2020 Myer Innovation Fellowship for developing digital human rights monitoring tools. Currently serves as Book Review co-Editor for Law & Society Review and previously chaired Jesuit Refugee Service Australia (2022-2022).