Dr Hayley Roberts

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.

Dr. Roberts’ main research interests are in the areas of the protection of underwater cultural heritage and dispute resolution within the law of the sea, and she is co-leader of the Law of the Sea and Climate Change Research Group at the School. Dr. Roberts is also interested in the relationship between international law and devolved nations, and school admissions for summer-born children. She is a Commissioner for the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales, and a member of the Wales Observatory on Children’s Rights.

Dr. Roberts is particularly interested in supervising PhDs related to issues of underwater cultural heritage/historic shipwrecks and dispute resolution in public international law (particularly UNCLOS 1982). She is also prepared to consider 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 (module leader)
• SCL 2141/3141: Y Gyfraith ar Waith (module leader)
• SCL 2115/3115: Materion Cyfoes Cyfreithiol yn y Gymraeg (module leader)

Postgraduate

• Maritime Law LLM (programme director)
• Law of the Sea LLM (programme director)
• SXL 4040: Public International Law (module leader)
• SXL 4048: International Law of the Sea (module leader)
• SXL 4049: Admiralty Law (module leader)

Dr. Roberts is the Director of Welsh Matters for the School of Law, and is also the Chair of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol's Law, Criminology and Policing Subject Panel.

Dr. Roberts’ main research interests are in the areas of the protection of underwater cultural heritage and dispute resolution within the law of the sea, and she is co-leader of the Law of the Sea and Climate Change Research Group at the School. Dr. Roberts is also interested in the relationship between international law and devolved nations and school admissions for summer-born children. She is a Commissioner for the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales, and a member of the Wales Observatory on Children’s Rights.

Selected Publications

• H. Roberts, 'Identifying 'Exclusionary Agreements': Procedural Limitations on Jurisdiction in UNCLOS Dispute Settlement' (in progress)
• H. Roberts, 'Balancing Archaeological Integrity and Commercial Interests in Historic Wreck Salvage: A Framework for Future Litigation' (under review)
• H. Roberts, ‘The British Ratification of the Underwater Heritage Convention: Problems and Prospects’ (2018) 67(4) ICLQ 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 Dr. 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

• Co-Applicant, One-Day Seminar on International Law and Devolved Nations, SLSA Seminar Competition Grant (Applied for £4,900; Awarded £2,400) (December 2016)
• Principal Investigator, The Role of the Welsh Government in the Reporting and Compliance Procedure of International Agreements: A UNCRC Case Study, Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Grant (Awarded £2,436) (July 2016)
• Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Grant: Awarded £4390 to organise a Welsh Medium Legal Conference in February 2015 (2014-2015)
• National Assembly for Wales’ Independent Remuneration Board Research Grant: Grant awarded to complete report, National Assembly for Wales Remuneration Board: Barriers to Entering the Welsh Assembly (2014)
• Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Grant: Grant awarded to generate a series of Welsh Medium Law Textbooks (2013-ongoing)
• Ph.D. Research Grant: Awarded £60,600 over four years for doctoral research (2007-2011)

Selected Conference Papers 

• Reporting and Compliance on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in a Devolved United Kingdom, Bangor Interdisciplinary Conference on Childhood and Youth, Bangor University (June 2017)
• Impact of International Law on Devolved Legislation, Devolved Nations and International Law Seminar, Bangor University (June 2017)
• Brexit and the Law School Roundtable, Swansea University (May 2017) (Invited)
• Time to Ratify the UNESCO Convention 2001? Challenges and Solutions for the United Kingdom, Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference, Newcastle University (April 2017)
• The South China Sea Arbitration: The Role of Negotiations in UNCLOS Dispute Settlement, IntLawGrrls! 10th Birthday Conference, Dean Rusk International Law Center, University of Georgia Law School, Athens, Georgia USA (March 2017)
• Underwater Heritage in Wales Panel Session, 8th Annual Conference of MOROL, Porthmadog (November 2016)
• Let’s Shake Hands: The role of negotiations in UNCLOS dispute settlement in light of Philippines v China, Sino-European Symposium on International Law of the Sea, South China Sea Institute of Xiamen University, China (June 2016) (by invitation)
• Pwy sydd bia’r Titanic? Trosolwg o’r ymdrechion cyfreithiol i feddu’r llongddrylliad, Welsh Legal Research Conference, Cardiff University (2014) (by invitation)
• The Application of Salvage Law to Historic Shipwrecks, Sino-European Law Symposium, Bangor University (2013) (by invitation)
• Twenty-five Years of Titanic Treasure: Legislation, Litigation and Likelihood of Longevity, Society of Legal Scholars Conference, Southampton (September 2010)

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.

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

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)

Professional Memberships

• Commissioner, 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 
• Welsh Centre for International Affairs (Legal Affairs Committee)