International Environmental Governance, Policy, and Social Justice

Initially trained as a human rights attorney, Professor Tirrell focuses his research on rights-based approaches to natural resource management, sustainable development, and climate change adaptation. Before returning to academia, he practiced law predominantly in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and New York City on issues of development, environmental protection, education, and human rights. As a scholar, he has continued to study those regions and issues, but recently he began a new research project examining the effectiveness of fisheries management regimes in several communities in Arctic Norway, New Zealand, Alaska, and New England. A large part of this research relates to the durability, change, and interplay of cultural, social, and political institutions, and how these impact governance across various scales. His research is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the Henry J. Leir Foundation. In addition to his legal practice, Tirrell has been a consultant and advisor for various nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations in the areas of sustainable development, indigenous rights, natural resources management, children's rights, and educational development. In 2008, he helped to found an educational advocacy organization and was featured as a guest columnist in The New York Times on the subject of educational rights. Tirrell teaches courses on international environmental politics and policy at the University of San Diego, and has previously taught at Boston College and Tufts University, where he conducted his doctoral studies. He especially enjoys supervising student research and theses. He received a JD from Columbia University and a PhD in international relations from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, with a focus on sustainability.