Dr. Hayley Roberts is an international lawyer with a specialisation in the law of the sea. She was educated at the University of Wales, Bangor, completing a PhD on the legal protection of underwater cultural heritage in UK, US and international law in 2012. She joined as a Lecturer in Public International Law in 2013, became Senior Lecturer in 2019 and Reader in 2023. 

Dr. Roberts’ main research interests are in the areas of the protection of underwater cultural heritage, issues relating to climate change and the oceans/heritage, and specific matters relating to the dispute settlement procedure in the Law of the Sea Convention. She is currently writing a monograph on State-owned Shipwrecks and International Law, to be published with the University of Wales Press in 2024. She was recently PI on a AHRC-funded grant that examines marine cultural heritage as a climate adaptation priority, working with a team of researchers in the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Please see the research tab for full details on research activity.

Dr Roberts is Vice-Chair of the Board of Commissioners to the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, and sits on the UK National Decade Committee for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. She also sits on the Law Council of Wales and is Chair of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol's (Welsh National College) Law, Criminology and Policing Subject Panel. Dr. Roberts has been consultant to UNITAR for law of the sea training and is on the Editoral Board of Ocean Development & International Law. 

Addysgu

Israddedig

  • Public International Law (arweinydd y modiwl)
  • SXL 3142: International Law of the Sea (arweinydd y modiwl)
  • SCL 2142/3142: Cyfraith y Môr (arweinydd y modiwl)
  • SXL 1112/2212: Cyfraith Contract
  • SCL 1115: Y Gyfraith yn Gymraeg
  • Cyfraniadau blaenorol i: Introduction to Law, Criminal Law, Equity and Trusts and Commercial Law

Ôl-radd

  • International Law LLM (cynullydd y cwrs)
  • Law of the Sea LLM (cynullydd y cwrs)
  • SXL 4040: Public International Law (arweinydd y modiwl)
  • SXL 4048: International Law of the Sea (arweinydd y modiwl)

Arall

  • Ysgol Haf Hawliau Dynol Rhyngwladol
  • Ysgol Haf Saesneg Cyfreithiol ar gyfer cyfreithwyr, Bangor
  • Ysgol Haf Tsieineaidd, Bangor

Books and Monographs

  • H. Roberts, State-owned Shipwrecks in International Law (University of Wales Press) forthcoming 2023.

Selected Publications

  • H. Roberts, 'Climate Mitigation, Adaptation, and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea' in R. Caddell and P. McCormack, Research Handbook on Climate Change and Biodiversity Law (Edward Elgar) forthcoming 2022. 
  • H. Roberts, ‘Ratifying 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

  • H. Roberts et al, 'Tanzania's Marine Cultural Heritage: A Climate Adaptation Priority - Summary for Policymakers', report forthcoming 2022
  • 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

Principal Investigator, Incorporating Marine Cultural Heritage Protection into Tanzania's National Adaptation Plan, AHRC/GCRF (December 2019)

  • Principal Investigator, Incorporating Marine Cultural Heritage Protection into Tanzania's National Adaptation Plan, AHRC/GCRF (December 2019)
  • 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)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.

2023

2022

2021

2020

2018

2015

2014

2022

2021

2020

  • Digital Past 2020

    Paper: Keynote Summary

    Chwef 2020

    Gweithgaredd: Cymryd rhan mewn cynhadledd Academaidd (Prif siaradwr/siaradwr mewn sesiwn lawn)

2019

2017

2016

Ymatebion Ymgynghoriad

  • Written response to the Welsh Government Consultation on Proposed changes to Planning Policy Wales Chaper 6: The Historic Environment (Mehefin 2016)
  • Written response to the Welsh Government Consultation on Proposed amendments to the criminal offences and defences in sections 2, 28 and 42 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, 2014 (Ebrill 2014)
  • Written response to the Welsh Government Consultation on Proposals for the Historic Environment of Wales, 2013 (Hydref 2013)

Aelodaethau Proffesiynol

  • Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
  • Society of Legal Scholars