Virgečilgehus

Maria Madalena das Neves is an associate professor at the Faculty of Law, and a researcher at the Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea (NCLOS), at UiT – The Arctic University of Norway. She is currently leading two research programmes at NCLOS, one within the overarching project ‘Developing Good Ocean Governance of the Arctic in Times of Unpredictable and Rapid Changes’ and one on the ‘Limits and Possibilities of Sovereignty as the Organizing Logic and Central Principle Underpinning Law of the Sea and Ocean Governance’ under AURORA. She also participates in the reference group for work with the International Seabed Authority created by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At UiT, Maria has been academic director of the LLM Programme in Law of the Sea and still teaches in this programme as well as in NOMPEL (Joint Nordic Master Programme in Environmental Law). Maria also teaches energy and climate change law, EU/EEA law, and introduction to international and EU trade law. Maria has also been a guest associate professor at the Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies, Kobe University, Japan, and a guest lecturer at different programmes such as the summer school of the Portuguese Institute for the Law of the Sea and the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS)/Nippon Foundation Fellowship. Maria is a member of the Portuguese Institute for the Law of the Sea and the European Society of International Law. She is on the editorial board of the Portuguese Yearbook of the Law of the Sea. 

Maria is also an attorney enrolled in the Portuguese Bar Association and has worked as an attorney with a number of companies and public entities in the energy and maritime sectors. She has also been the legal advisor to the Honorary Consul of Portugal to Tromsø, Norway (2011-2017).

Maria holds a Licenciatura in law (Portuguese Catholic University), a Postgraduate Diploma in maritime law (Portuguese Lusophone University), a LL.M. in law of the sea (University of Tromsø), and a Ph.D. in energy law (University of Tromsø). Maria has also completed the Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy. Maria has also been a visiting researcher at the Groningen Centre for Energy Law at the University of Groningen.

Her main research interests are within law of the sea, energy law, regulation of offshore energy and extractive industries, climate change and environmental law, and international trade and investment law.