Michelle Farrell

Michelle Farrell is a Professor of International Law at the University of Liverpool’s School of Law and Social Justice, part of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. She holds a BA from Trinity College Dublin, an LLM in International Human Rights Law from the Irish Centre for Human Rights, and a PhD from the National University of Ireland, Galway. Her research focuses on international law, human rights law, and the prohibition of torture, informed by continental philosophy and critical theory. Current projects include a Leverhulme-funded exploration of the political theology of torture and co-editing Human Rights in the Media: Fear and Fetish (Routledge, 2019).

Key achievements include a Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship (2020–2021), O’Brien Fellowship at McGill University (2016), and NUI EJ Phelan Postgraduate Fellowship (2011). She advises doctoral students on topics like climate law, counter-terrorism, and human rights media discourses.

• Research Interests: Torture prohibition, state power, counter-terrorism, political theology, climate change law, human rights media discourse.
• Professional Roles: Director of Postgraduate Teaching, Director of the International Law and Human Rights Unit, and external examiner at multiple UK institutions.
• Media Engagement: Frequent commentator on BBC and LBC on topics like UK Human Rights Act debates, prisoner voting rights, and torture legality.