Amanda Lyons

Amanda Lyons is the Executive Director of the Human Rights Center at the University of Minnesota Law School and a Lecturer in Law. She specializes in international human rights law, focusing on economic, environmental, and gender justice. Her research emphasizes rights-based approaches to poverty eradication, LGBTQI rights, and environmental justice. She teaches courses on Poverty & Human Rights, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Human Rights, and runs the Human Rights Field Placement program. Amanda holds a J.D. (magna cum laude) from the University of Minnesota Law School and a B.A. in Sociology and Latin American Studies from Notre Dame.

Her advocacy work includes leading UN-based strategies on business and human rights, gender equity, and sustainable development. She co-leads the Human Rights Lab/Minnesota Model, a Grand Challenges initiative. She has held roles at Franciscans International (2011–2016) and the International Center for Transitional Justice (2009–2011), focusing on transitional justice and policy evaluation in Colombia and Brazil.

Her publications span topics like LGBTQI rights, water equity, sustainable development goals, and Colombia’s transitional justice. She received grants for innovative teaching methods and curriculum development in human rights education.

• Grants: Schochet Grant (2019), UMN Teaching Innovation Grant (2018)
• Labs/Teams: Human Rights Lab/Minnesota Model (Grand Challenges Initiative)