Dr. Hayley Roberts is an international lawyer with a specialisation in the law of the sea. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Wales, Bangor, where she graduated with a LLB (Hons) in Law. She later won two doctoral scholarships to complete a PhD at the same institution, examining the legal protection of underwater cultural heritage in the UK and internationally. Having taught at the School since 2007, she joined as a Lecturer in Public International Law in 2013 and became Senior Lecturer in 2019.

Dr. Roberts’ main research interests are in the areas of the protection of underwater cultural heritage, dispute resolution within the law of the sea, and issues relating to climate change and the oceans/heritage. She is also interested in the relationship between international law and devolved nations. Dr. Roberts is co-leader of the Law of the Sea and Climate Change Research Group at the School and she is Commissioner (Vice Chair) to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. 

Dr. Roberts is particularly interested in supervising PhDs related to issues of underwater cultural heritage/historic shipwrecks, climate change and the ocean, and dispute resolution issues in the law of the sea. She is also prepared to consider strong applications with interesting research proposals relating to public international law or the law of the sea more generally.

Teaching  

Dr. Roberts was awarded a Bangor University Teaching Fellowship in 2017 and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Undergraduate

• SXL 3142: International Law of the Sea (module leader)
• SXL 3110: International Law and Contemporary Issues
• SCL-2139/3139: Cyfraith Datganoli
• SCL-1115: Y Gyfraith yn Gymraeg

Postgraduate

• International Law LLM (programme director)
• SXL 4040: Public International Law (module leader)
• SXL 4048: International Law of the Sea (module leader)
• SXL-4850: Sustainable Seas (module leader)

Dr. Roberts is Chair of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol's Law, Criminology and Policing Subject Panel. She is also external examiner for law and criminology at Aberystwyth University.

Dr. Roberts’ main research interests are in the areas of the protection of underwater cultural heritage, dispute resolution within the law of the sea, and issues relating to climate change and the oceans/heritage. She is also interested in the relationship between international law and devolved nations. Dr. Roberts is co-leader of the Law of the Sea and Climate Change Research Group at the School and she is Commissioner (Vice Chair) to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales.  

Selected Publications

• H. Roberts, 'Identifying 'Exclusionary Agreements': Agreement Type as a Procedural Limitation in UNCLOS Dispute Settlement' (2021) 52 Ocean Development & International Law 113
• H. Roberts, 'Review: Maritime Legacies and the Law: Effective Governance of WWI Wrecks' (2020) 7(2) Journal of Territorial and Maritime Studies 128
• H. Roberts, ‘The British Ratification of the Underwater Heritage Convention: Problems and Prospects’ (2018) 67(4) International & Comparative Law Quarterly 833
• H. Roberts, ‘Responses to Sovereign Disputes in the South China Sea’ (2015) 30 International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law 199
• H. Roberts, ‘Review: Copyright and Cultural Heritage: Preservation and Access to Works in a Digital World’ (2011) 16 Comms Law 89

Reports and Consultations

• Written evidence to the Joint Committee on Human Rights in its inquiry on the UK’s record on children’s rights (with Prof. Alison Mawhinney) (October 2016)
• Written response to the Welsh Government Consultation, Proposed changes to Planning Policy Wales Chaper 6: The Historic Environment (June 2016)
• H. Roberts et al, ‘Evaluating Barriers to Entering the Assembly: What Prevents Us From Standing’ (July 2014) Report to the National Assembly for Wales’ Independent Remuneration Board
• Written response to the Welsh Government Consultation, Proposed amendments to the criminal offences and defences in sections 2, 28 and 42 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, 2014 (April 2014)
• Written response to the Welsh Government Consultation, Proposals for the Historic Environment of Wales, 2013 (October 2013)

Other Publications

• H. Roberts, ‘The Republic of the Philippines v The People’s Republic of China: A question of jurisdiction’ (IntLawGrrls Blog, May 2015)
• H. Roberts, ‘Will China force the USA’s hand to revisit the Law of the Sea Convention?’ (IntLawGrrls Blog, June 2014)
• Westlaw Insight Contributor (Law of the Sea)
• Intlawgrrls.com Contributor [http://ilg2.org/author/drhayleyroberts]

Key Grants and Projects

• AHRC, Engaging with Government Programme 2021: Finalist; participant
• AHRC/GCRF Research Grant (January 2020), £10,000: ‘Incorporating Marine Cultural Heritage Protection into Tanzania’s National Adaptation Plan’ (Principal Investigator)
• Kess II Award (September 2018), £21,348: ‘Ontoleg Cyfraith Teulu a’r Gymraeg’ (Principal Investigator)
• SLSA Seminar Competition Award (December 2016), £2,400: ‘Devolved Nations and International Law’ (Co-Investigator)
• Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Grant (July 2016), £2,436: ‘The Role of the Welsh Government in the Reporting and Compliance Procedures of International Agreements: A UNCRC Case Study’ (Principal Investigator)
• Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Grant (February 2015), £4,390: ‘Welsh Legal Research Conference for Students’ (Lead Applicant)
• National Assembly for Wales’ Independent Remuneration Board Research Grant (2014), £10,000: ‘Evaluating Barriers to Entering the Assembly: What Prevents Us From Standing’ (Co-Investigator)
• Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Grant (2013) £48,140: Project group awarded funding for extension of Welsh Medium Law Textbooks project (Co-Applicant)
• Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Grant (2013) £43,253: Project group awarded funding to generate a series of Welsh Medium Law Textbooks (Co-Applicant)

Selected Conference Papers

• Keynote Summary (invited), Digital Past 2020 International 2-Day Conference, Aberystwyth Arts Centre (February 2020)
• Invited to Open and Close Proceedings, The U-Boat Project 2-Day Legacy Workshop, Marine Centre Wales (September 2019)
• Speaker, Greater Manchester Combined Authority Lessons from Devolution Workshop, Manchester (May 2019)
• Participant, Brexit and the Law School: SLS-Funded Roundtable, Swansea University (July 2017)
• Speaker, Compliance with the UNCRC in the Context of Devolution, Bangor Interdisciplinary Conference on Childhood and Youth, Bangor University (June 2017)
• Speaker, The Involvement of the Welsh Government in the Reporting and Compliance Process of the UNCRC, Devolved Nations and International Law Seminar, Bangor University (June 2017)
• Speaker, Time to Ratify the UNESCO Convention 2001? Challenges and Solutions for the United Kingdom, Socio-Legal Studies Association Conference, Newcastle University (April 2017)
• Speaker, The South China Sea Arbitration: The Role of Negotiations in UNCLOS Dispute Settlement, IntLawGrrls! 10^th Birthday Conference, University of Georgia Law School, Georgia, USA (March 2017)
• Panelist, Access to Underwater Heritage and the Law, Underwater Heritage in Wales Session, 8^th Annual Conference of MOROL, Porthmadog, Wales (November 2016)
• Invited, UNCLOS Dispute Settlement in Light of Philippines v China, Sino-European Symposium on the International Law of the Sea, South China Sea Institute of Xiamen University, China (June 2016)
• Speaker, Pwy sydd bia’r Titanic? Trosolwg o’r ymdrechion i feddu’r Llongddrylliad, Welsh Legal Research Conference, Cardiff University (2014)

Dr. Roberts is particularly interested in supervising PhDs related to issues of underwater cultural heritage/shipwrecks and dispute resolution within the law of the sea. She is also prepared to consider applications with interesting research proposals relating to public international law or the law of the sea more generally.

2021

• PublishedIdentifying 'Exclusionary Agreements': Agreement Type as a Procedural Limitation in UNCLOS Dispute Settlement
  Roberts, H., 26 May 2021, In : Ocean Development & International Law. 52, 2, p. 113-142
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

2020

• PublishedMaritime Legacies and the Law: Effective Governance of WWI Wrecks
  Roberts, H., Jul 2020, In : Journal of Territorial and Maritime Studies. 7, 2, p. 128-130 3 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Book/Film/Article review

2018

• PublishedThe British ratification of the Underwater Heritage Convention: Problems and Prospects
  Roberts, H., Oct 2018, In : International & Comparative Law Quarterly. 67, 4, p. 833-865
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

2015

• PublishedResponses to Sovereign Disputes in the South China Sea: Responsed to Sovereign disputes in the South China Sea
  Roberts, H. A. & Roberts, H., 1 Mar 2015, In : International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law. 30, 1, p. 199-211
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

2014

• PublishedEvaluating Barriers to Entering the Assembly: What Prevents Us From Standing
  Robinson, C., Cahill, D., Nikolopoulos, K., Clear, S., Harvey, J., Prendergast, L., Pritchard, H. & Roberts, H., 1 Jul 2014, National Assembly for Wales. 48 p.
  Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report

2021

• Will mask wearing still be common in Britain after the pandemic is over?

  6 Aug 2021

  Links:

  • https://theconversation.com/will-mask-wearing-still-be-common-in-britain-after-the-pandemic-is-over-165210
  Activity: Types of Public engagement and outreach - Media article or participation (Contributor)

2017

• Bangor Interdisciplinary Conference on Childhood and Youth

  Reporting and Compliance on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in a Devolved United Kingdom

  28 Jun 2017

  Activity: Participation in conference (Speaker)
• Devolved Nations and International Law Seminar

  Impact of International Law on Devolved Legislation

  16 Jun 2017

  Activity: Participation in conference (Speaker)
• Devolved Nations and International Law Seminar

  16 Jun 2017

  Activity: Participation in conference (Organiser)
• Brexit and the Law School Roundtable

  31 May 2017

  Activity: Types of External academic engagement - Invited talk (Contributor)
• Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference 2017

  Time to Ratify the UNESCO Convention 2001? Challenges and Solutions for the United Kingdom

  6 Apr 2017

  Activity: Participation in conference (Speaker)
• IntLawGrrls 10th Birthday Conference

  The South China Sea Arbitration: The Role of Negotiations in UNCLOS Dispute Settlement

  3 Mar 2017

  Activity: Participation in conference (Speaker)

2016

• Underwater Heritage Law in Wales

  Underwater Heritage in Wales Panel Session

  12 Nov 2016

  Activity: Invited talk (Speaker)
• Let’s Shake Hands: The role of negotiations in UNCLOS dispute settlement in light of Philippines v China

  29 Jun 2016 – 30 Jun 2016

  Activity: Invited talk (Invited speaker)

• Incorporating Marine Cultural Heritage Protection into Tanzania’s National Adaptation Plan

  01/01/2020 – 28/02/2022 (Active)

Professional Memberships

• Commissioner and Vice Chair, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales 
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Society of Legal Scholars (Council Member)
• Socio-Legal Studies Association
• Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol (Chair of Law, Criminology and Policing Subject Panel)
• Welsh Centre for International Affairs (Legal Affairs Committee)