Ursula Kriebaum

Professor Ursula Kriebaum is a distinguished faculty member at the University of Vienna's Institute for European, International and Comparative Law within the Faculty of Law. She serves as a full Professor in the Department of International Law and International Relations, where she maintains an active research program and supervises numerous students. Her office is located at the Juridicum building (Schottenbastei 10-16, 1010 Vienna), Staircase II, 5th Floor, Room R549.

Professor Kriebaum's research focuses span several critical areas of international law including international human rights protection, international investment law (particularly expropriation, fair and equitable treatment standards, and the relationship between human rights and investment protection), international arbitration tribunals, implementation of international human rights obligations into domestic law, and restitution of assets confiscated during the National Socialist regime. Her scholarly work demonstrates a consistent pattern of examining the intersection between human rights frameworks and investment protection mechanisms.

Her recent publications reveal a strong trend toward addressing contemporary challenges in international dispute resolution, particularly the development of mechanisms like the Hague Rules on Business and Human Rights Arbitration. Her work consistently bridges theoretical legal scholarship with practical applications in international arbitration, with significant attention to how investment treaties affect human rights protections and regulatory space for states. She has made substantial contributions to understanding expropriation standards, fair and equitable treatment, and the right to water in investment contexts.

Among her notable professional affiliations and honors:

• Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague (since September 2014)
• Alternate Arbitrator at the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration (since August 2013)
• Member of the Arbitration Panel for the Protocol on Cultural Cooperation to the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and its Member States and the Republic of Korea
• Member of the German Society of International Law
• Member of the International Law Association (Committee on Human Rights)
• Member of the European Society of International Law

Professor Kriebaum actively supervises a large team of students and researchers, demonstrating her commitment to academic mentorship. She has participated in significant research projects including a study on Asian ombudsman institutions conducted jointly with Professor Gabriele Kucsko-Stadlmayer, supported by Mag. Philipp Janig and Mag. Thomas Stefan Eder, for the International Ombudsman Institute and funded by the Institute and the World Bank. Her media appearances, including an Ö1 interview on the Geneva Refugee Convention and participation in TV discussions about CETA and TTIP, demonstrate her engagement with current legal issues affecting public discourse.