David Dyzenhaus

David Dyzenhaus is a University Professor of Law and Philosophy at the University of Toronto and holds the Albert Abel Chair of Law. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy, with a distinguished career spanning institutions in South Africa, England, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand, Hungary, Mexico, and the USA.

• Education: B.A. (University of the Witwatersrand, 1977); LL.B. (University of the Witwatersrand, 1979); D.Phil. (University of Oxford, 1988)
• Academic Appointments:
  • University of Toronto Faculty of Law (1989–present)
  • Associate Dean of Graduate Studies (2002–2010)
  • Global Visiting Professor, NYU Law (2008, 2013)
  • Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin Fellow (2016–17)
  • Guggenheim Fellow (2020–21)
  • Humboldt Research Award (2024–25)

Research Focus: Dyzenhaus's work centers on Legal Philosophy, Constitutional Law, Rule of Law, and Emergency Jurisprudence. He explores intersections between Political Philosophy and Comparative Law, analyzing how legal systems address Authoritarianism, Transitional Justice, and Human Rights in crisis contexts.

Publications: His scholarship includes 15+ books and 32+ articles, examining Legal Positivism, Carl Schmitt's Exception Theory, and South African Apartheid Law. Key works address Hobbesian Constitutionalism, Hayekian Legal Theory, and Comparative Constitutionalism in Commonwealth nations.

Scientific Awards:

• Royal Society of Canada (1999)
• Corresponding Fellow, British Academy (2021)
• Guggenheim Fellowship (2020–21)
• SSHRC Gold Medal (2023)
• Humboldt Research Award (2024–25)

Advising & Grants: As a leading scholar in Constitutional Theory and Administrative Law, Dyzenhaus has edited the University of Toronto Law Journal and co-edited the Cambridge Studies in Constitutional Law series. He has held research grants for projects on Rule of Law in Crisis and Comparative Constitutionalism.

Labs & Collaborations: Dyzenhaus collaborates with institutions like the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin and All Souls College, Oxford, focusing on Legal Theory and Global Constitutionalism.