Meet Elizabeth Nwarueze

Ocean Governance - Legal Associate

Elizabeth Nwarueze is a Lawyer and Research Associate at Auxilium, as well as a Rhodes Scholar pursuing a DPhil in Law at the University of Oxford. Her doctoral research examines the role of private actors in the law of the sea and maritime operations.

Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from the University of Ibadan, and both a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) and Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Law from the University of Oxford. She has also undertaken advanced studies at the Hague Academy of International Law (Directed Studies), the Yeosu Academy of the Law of the Sea, and the United Nations Codification Division’s International Law Seminar.

Combining research and practice, Elizabeth has worked as a disputes lawyer in Nigeria and contributed to significant developments in international maritime law. Her experience includes participation in the final negotiations and adoption of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) and the adoption of the Net Zero Framework for Shipping Decarbonisation (MARPOL Chapter V) at the International Maritime Organization. She has also contributed to regional ocean scholarship with the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Institute and the Atlantic Centre in Portugal.

Elizabeth’s research has been published in the Routledge Handbook on Climate Law and Governance, the Temple International and Comparative Law Journal, and the Journal of Conflict, Security and Development, as well as in specialized blog posts on the law of the sea. She has presented her work at the United States Naval War College and the Korean Maritime Institute. At Oxford, she has lectured on Peace and Conflict Studies and International Relations. Her broader interests lie in the implementation of the law of the sea and the interplay between States’ obligations and regional policy frameworks.