Uma Outka

Uma Outka is the William R. Scott Law Professor at the University of Kansas School of Law, where she has served since 2017. Previously, she was Associate Dean for Faculty (2019-2022) and Associate Professor (2011-2017). Her academic career includes visiting professorships at Washington University in St. Louis (2022), University of Hawaii's Environmental Law Program (2019), and the Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law, India (2018). She holds a J.D. (summa cum laude) from the University of Maine School of Law and a Master's in Public Policy from the University of Southern Maine.

Outka's research focuses on energy law, environmental justice, and climate policy. She examines legal frameworks for energy transitions, renewable energy deployment, and equity in decarbonization efforts. Her work has been published in Ecology Law Quarterly, Stanford Environmental Law Journal, and the Vanderbilt Law Review. She is an affiliate of KU's Environmental Studies Program and served as Chair of the AALS Energy and Natural Resources Law Section (2022-2023).

Her teaching spans environmental law, energy policy, property law, and climate change law. Recognitions include the Immel Award for Teaching Excellence (2019) and election to the American Law Institute (2022). Her recent scholarship explores energy communities, federal-state conflicts over environmental justice, and ethical dimensions of renewable energy transitions.

Awarded the William R. Scott Professorship in 2019, she has also held roles as General Counsel for 1000 Friends of Florida (2007-2009) and litigation attorney at Verrill Dana LLP (2005-2007). Professional memberships include the American Bar Association and American Association of Law Schools sections on environmental and energy law.

Outka's advocacy extends to public lectures on energy justice and policy, including keynotes at the University of Connecticut (2021) and international conferences in France (2021) and India (2022). Her work bridges legal scholarship with practical solutions for equitable energy systems.