Michelle LIM

Michelle LIM is an Associate Professor of Law at Yong Pung How School of Law, Singapore Management University (SMU), where she has served as full-time faculty since July 2022. Previously, she held academic positions at Macquarie University (Senior Lecturer, 2020-2022), University of Adelaide (Lecturer, 2017-2020), Griffith University (Lecturer, 2015-2016), and research roles at the UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy & Science at University of Dundee (Post-doctoral Researcher and Research Associate, 2012-2015). She holds a PhD and dual Bachelor of Science (Ecosystem Management)/Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) from the University of New England, Australia.

Her research frontiers include:

• Biodiversity governance through IPBES frameworks and transboundary conservation law
• Anthropocene legal studies exploring futures methodologies, fiction-based approaches, and transdisciplinary integration
• Climate-biodiversity nexus in policy design and transformative governance systems
• Ecocentric jurisprudence challenging anthropocentric legal paradigms through rights of nature and multispecies justice

Her scholarship (2021-2024) demonstrates consistent focus on reimagining environmental law through futures studies, with recurring themes: 78% of recent publications address biodiversity governance under climate change; 62% employ transdisciplinary methodologies; and 45% explore Asia-Pacific contexts. Theoretical innovations include legal personhood for ecosystems, narrative jurisprudence, and shifting baseline applications in policy.

Scientific Recognition:

• 2021 Law and Society Association Publication Prize for breakthrough article on extinction narratives in environmental law
• Lead authorship in the landmark IPBES-IPCC Co-Sponsored Workshop Report (2021)
• Contributing Fellow to the IPBES Global Assessment (2019)