معرفی
Baine Kerr is a Researcher at Utrecht University's Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance, specializing in International and European Law. He is also affiliated with the Utrecht Center for Water, Oceans, and Sustainability Law and the Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS). His work focuses on the intersection of climate change law and international maritime and aviation regulations.
Dr. Kerr holds a PhD and LL.M in Public International Law from Utrecht University, a J.D. from UCLA School of Law, and a B.A. in Sociology from Vassar College. He has also been a visiting researcher at Oxford University Faculty of Law and the University of Copenhagen Center for Climate Law and Governance, and conducted postdoctoral research at the Amsterdam Center for International Law from 2024-2025.
Dr. Kerr is an expert on the decarbonization of the shipping and aviation sectors, researching how international, regional, and national climate laws and regulations are changing the technologies and financing that power international trade. His research spans climate law, international maritime law, aviation law, carbon markets, and environmental law, with a particular focus on regulatory frameworks for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from international transportation sectors.
His publications demonstrate a consistent focus on bridging legal regimes, particularly between climate change law and sector-specific regulations for shipping and aviation. A significant portion of his work examines the role of international organizations like the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in implementing climate obligations, with emphasis on legal accountability mechanisms and the environmental integrity of carbon market instruments.
Dr. Kerr has received the Best Thesis Award for Public International Law LL.M from Utrecht University in March 2020, recognizing the quality and impact of his scholarly work in the field of international climate law.
Prior to his academic career, Dr. Kerr worked for eight years as a Deputy Attorney General at the California Department of Justice, where he represented state agencies in coastal, environmental, and land use disputes. He is licensed to practice law in California and has been admitted to several US federal courts. His practical legal experience complements his academic research, providing real-world context to his scholarly work.
Dr. Kerr is actively involved with the Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS), where he has co-coached the NILOS Moot Court team and contributed to various educational programs including the International Law of the Sea Summer School. His engagement with this research center demonstrates his commitment to advancing knowledge in maritime law and its intersection with climate change regulation.
