Anne Peters

Anne Peters is a leading scholar in public international law, serving as Director at the Max-Planck-Institut für ausländisches öffentliches Recht und Völkerrecht in Heidelberg. She holds concurrent academic positions as Titular Professor at the University of Basel, Honorary Professor at Heidelberg University and Freie Universität Berlin, and L. Bates Lea Global Law Professor at the University of Michigan Law School. Her work bridges theory and practice through deep engagement with international institutions, including the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the Institut de Droit International.

Her research focuses on the constitutionalization of international law, the legal status of individuals, global governance, and the emerging field of Global Animal Law. She has pioneered interdisciplinary scholarship that rethinks the boundaries of legal personhood and rights beyond the human. Her work combines historical analysis, doctrinal precision, and normative innovation, particularly in areas such as transparency, corruption, and international organizations.

Her recent publications reflect a strong thematic trend toward the individualization and humanization of international law, the ethical expansion of rights to non-human animals, and the constitutional challenges posed by populism, war, and institutional erosion. She frequently examines how international law evolves in crisis and how its normative foundations can be strengthened.

Among her notable scientific honors are the ESIL Collaborative Book Prize (2023) for Animals in International Law and the ASIL Certificate of Merit (2014) for Oxford Handbook of the History of International Law. She has also led major academic societies, including serving as President of the European Society of International Law (2010–2012) and Chair of the German Society of International Law (2019–2023).

Anne Peters has advised governments and institutions, delivered numerous lectures worldwide, and supervised a wide range of scholarly projects. She is deeply involved in policy debates on climate change, meat governance, and anti-corruption. Her leadership in the Global Animal Law movement includes organizing international conferences and advocating for legal reforms.

She is affiliated with several research centers and collaborates globally, particularly through the Max Planck Institute, where she leads cutting-edge research on the future of international legal order. Her work continues to shape the discourse on constitutionalism, human rights, and the ethical frontiers of law.