Vivian Rowlands (FORMERLY Aiyedogbon) LLB LLM is a Lecturer of Tort Law at the VU.
She was previously a Managing Editor and Research Fellow with the Cross-cultural Human Rights Review for 4 years. She coordinated the publication of two volumes at the Review and delivers guest presentations on the importance of cross-cultural approaches to human rights scholarship.
She co-coached International Law Masters Students for yearly international law moot court competitions, such as Telders Intl Law Moot Court Competition and Jessup Intl Law Moot Court Competition. She was a Junior Lecturer of Public International Law at Utrecht University on the undergraduate law course. She was also a Junior Researcher on the European Research Council Project 'Accommodating New Interests at Sea: Legal Tools for Sustainable Ocean Governance'. Vivian has delivered guest lectures and presented at conferences on international issues relating to cultural rights and climate change.
Vivian was a Phil Michaels Legal Scholar with Friends of the Earth UK (“FoE”). She represented FoE at the 15th meeting of the Task Force on Access to Justice under the Aarhus Convention, successfully suggested amending outcome 5 to include ‘respecting, promoting, and fulfilling intergenerational equity’. She also worked on the following legal challenges against the UK government:
- FoE & Ors v Secretary of State (‘SoS’) for Energy Security and Net Zero [2024] (‘Carbon Budget Delivery Plan’);
- R (FoE and others) v SoS for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs [2024] (‘Third National Adaptation Plan’);
- FoE v SoS Levelling Up, Housing and Communities & others [2024] (‘Whitehaven coalmine’)
- and intervention in R (Finch on behalf of the Weald Action Group & Others) v Surrey County Council (& Others) [2024] (‘Finch’) Supreme Court hearing.
Her present research interests include the intersection between climate change litigation, climate adaptation, just transition and AI.
Vivian holds a Law with study abroad LLB (honours 2:1) degree from the University of Bristol, England, and studied for one year at Niigata University, Japan. She also holds a Public International Law (Specialising in Human Rights) LLM (cum laude) from Utrecht University; Postgrad Diploma in Bar Practice from King’s College London; and Qualification in Bar Practice from the Inns of Court College of Advocacy, UK. She undertook training as a legal adviser in the Magistrates Court, UK
