Orla Kelleher

Dr. Orla Kelleher is an Assistant Professor in the School of Law and Criminology at Maynooth University, specializing in climate change law, environmental rights, and human rights law. She joined the university in August 2022 and focuses on interdisciplinary research at the intersection of climate justice, EU governance, and legal accountability.

Education:

• PhD in Law, University College Dublin (2022)
• Barrister-at-Law, The King's Inns (2020)
• LL.M in European Law, College of Europe
• BCL in Law and French, University College Cork
• Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Teaching, Maynooth University (ongoing)

Research Focus: Her work examines systemic climate litigation, constitutional environmental rights, EU climate policy implementation, and just transition frameworks. She employs comparative legal analysis across European jurisdictions to assess judicial responses to climate crises and policy gaps.

Publications: Dr. Kelleher's scholarship appears in leading journals including the Journal of Environmental Law and Journal of Human Rights and the Environment, with consistent themes of rights-based climate accountability, causation in litigation, and EU governance reforms.

Awards:

• Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship (2019-2021)
• UCD Sutherland School of Law Doctoral Scholarship (2017-2019)
• Full Entrance Scholarship, College of Europe (2016)

Professional Engagement: She collaborates with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, Environmental Justice Network Ireland, and parliamentary committees. Recent policy contributions include advising on Ireland's Climate Action Plan and National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs).