James Walker

Dr. James Walker serves as a Visiting Scholar and Adjunct Faculty member in the M.A. Program in Human Rights at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), which is part of the Faculty of Philosophy and Department of Theology. Holding a PhD in Geography from UCLA, he brings interdisciplinary expertise to the university's robust human rights research infrastructure.

Dr. Walker's research focuses on the impact of new technologies for human rights oriented non-state actors, specifically examining the adoption of Remote Sensing (RS) technology by International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) engaged in documenting war crimes and other major human rights violations. His work combines critical geopolitics, International Practice Theory (IPT), and Science and Technology Studies (STS) to analyze how technological advancements are transforming human rights monitoring practices.

His research contributes to FAU's Cluster of Excellence 'Transforming Human Rights' and the FAU Research Center for Human Rights Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU CHREN), which examines current issues in human rights theory and practice within the university's broader research priority of 'Understanding norms, cultural practices and social formations.'