Michael Nesbitt

Michael Nesbitt serves as Associate Professor and Associate Dean (Research) at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Law, specializing in criminal law, national security, anti-terrorism legislation, and autonomous sanctions regimes. His work bridges academic research with practical policy development through ongoing collaborations with government agencies and international bodies.

Educational Background:

• SJD, University of Toronto (2013)
• LLM in International Law, New York University School of Law (2005)
• LL.B., University of Ottawa (2004)
• BA (Hons) in Commerce, Queen's University (2001)

Research Interests: Nesbitt's scholarship critically examines the intersection of civil liberties and security imperatives, with particular focus on evidentiary standards in terrorism prosecutions, comparative sentencing practices, and the extraterritorial application of sanctions. His methodology combines doctrinal legal analysis with empirical research on judicial decision-making patterns, revealing how cognitive biases influence terrorism sentencing outcomes. He actively investigates the tension between national security objectives and constitutional protections in Canadian law.

Publication Trends: His recent work (2017-2021) demonstrates increasing interdisciplinary engagement, merging legal analysis with insights from criminology, political science, and behavioral economics. Key thematic clusters include the procedural fairness of UN investigative bodies, the operational challenges of autonomous sanctions enforcement, and longitudinal studies of terrorism prosecutions in Canadian courts. His research consistently emphasizes practical policy implications while maintaining rigorous academic standards.

Scientific Awards:

• Fellow, Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies

Advising and Grants: Nesbitt has supervised numerous graduate research projects through the Faculty of Law's Directed Research program (LAW 653) and contributed to the university's strategic initiative 'Human Dynamics in a Changing World' (2015-2021). His government service informs ongoing consultation work for Global Affairs Canada on sanctions implementation, though specific grant details remain non-public due to national security sensitivities.

Labs and Teams: As Editor of the Law and Criminology Journal and active participant in the Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies, Nesbitt collaborates with cross-disciplinary teams examining security policy implementation. His current research group includes economists analyzing sanctions efficacy and psychologists studying judicial bias in national security cases.