Gail Lythgoe

Dr. Gail Lythgoe is a Lecturer in Global Law at the School of Law, University of Edinburgh, and a member of the Edinburgh Centre for International and Global Law. She teaches and researches global law and governance, with a focus on international legal theory, institutions, and spatiality. Lythgoe holds degrees from the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Singapore (National University of Singapore), and has been a visiting researcher at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity in Göttingen.

Her research explores public and private international law, global governance structures, legal theory, international organizations, security, legal technology, global health, and critical geography. She is particularly noted for her work on territory's role in international legal thought, as seen in her 2024 book The Rebirth of Territory.

Lythgoe serves as Review Editor for the European Journal of International Law, coordinates the ESIL Interest Group on International Organizations, and advises on equality, diversity, and inclusion in the European Society of International Law. Her recent scholarship addresses post-pandemic governance, the reterritorialization of legal authority, and the spatial dimensions of international law.

Her publications span articles on epidemic governance, sovereignty, and territorial exceptionalism, as well as critical reviews of legal geographies. Lythgoe actively engages in public discourse on issues like Iran’s 2022 protests and the legal implications of global health crises.