About
Penelope Simons is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law (Common Law Section) at the University of Ottawa and an upcoming Director of the Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) starting July 2025. She holds a B.A. in French Language and Literature from the University of British Columbia, an LL.B. from Dalhousie University, and LL.M. and Ph.D. in International Law from the University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on the human rights implications of transnational business activity, particularly in natural resource extraction, gender dimensions of resource extraction, and intersections with international economic law.
She has authored influential works like *The Governance Gap* (2014) and contributed to policy guides such as *Integrating Sustainable Development into International Investment Agreements* (2013). Her roles include membership in the editorial boards of the *Business and Human Rights Journal* and the Global Business and Human Rights Scholars’ Association. She also serves on the Canadian Partnership on Strengthening Justice for International Crimes and the SSHRC-funded initiative.
Her awards include the 2018 Walter S. Tarnopolsky Award. She teaches courses on international human rights law, public international law, and transnational corporations. She has advised on UN human rights mandates and contributed to the HRREC’s advocacy work, including its Scholars at Risk program. Her interdisciplinary approach addresses state responsibility, corporate accountability, and gendered impacts of resource extraction.
