Radhika Kapoor joins us as Assistant Professor (Law) at the National Law School of India University. Ms. Kapoor is a generalist public international lawyer, and her scholarly agenda spans armed conflict, human rights, counterterrorism, and United Nations (UN) law.

She previously worked at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught human rights law and advocacy. Working closely with international actors — including the UN Special Rapporteur on Counterterrorism and Human Rights and the Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances — as well as local NGOs in Sweden, the United States, and Kenya, she supported the repatriation of arbitrarily held detainees, identified states’ legal obligations to foster civic space, pursued accountability for transnational repression of activists, and advocated for the protection of environmental defenders. Students working under her supervision have drafted position papers on behalf of UN experts; convened coalitions of intergovernmental agencies, civil rights attorneys, and humanitarian organizations; and advised NGOs on litigation strategies before international tribunals.

She holds a B.A. LL.B. (Honours) degree from the National Law School of India University and an LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School. Her prior experience includes peace negotiations, transitional justice, and international criminal law. Her academic writing has appeared in the Journal of International Criminal Justice, the International Review of the Red Cross, and the Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law, among others.