Roojin Habibi is an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa鈥檚 Faculty of Law (Common Law Section), a Senior Visiting Fellow of the United Nations University鈥檚 International Institute for Global Health, and a Research Fellow of the Global Strategy Lab based at York University and the University of Ottawa. Bridging the fields of international law, health law and human rights, her current research program examines normative interpretation and change in global health law.鈥疕er mixed methods and collaborative approach to research has led to the convening of several international conferences as well as publications across a range of venues, including in journals of public health and medicine, law and social science reviews, commissioned reports, foundational law textbooks, and public news and media outlets.
Professor Habibi鈥檚 research has a track record of global impact. In 2019, she was the lead author and rapporteur of the "," providing the world鈥檚 first in-depth interpretation of the legal parameters governing the application of cross-border health measures under the World Health Organization鈥檚 (WHO鈥檚) 2005 . This consensus statement, developed with leading global health law scholars from around the world, served as a catalyst for the formation of the "," a permanent research collaborative that Professor Habibi has helped shape since 2020.
She is currently contributing her expertise in ongoing negotiations to draft a WHO pandemic instrument and to amend the International Health Regulations. In 2022, she was appointed by the WHO Director-General to the high profile , providing technical recommendations to WHO Member States on more than 300 proposed amendments to the Regulations. Alongside these roles, she has led on consensus-building initiatives at the frontiers of global health law and human rights, founding a partnership between the Global Health Law Consortium and the International Commission of Jurists that culminated in the 2023 .
Professor Habibi鈥檚 research and teaching portfolio has earned her several distinctions. She is a , a recipient of the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Doctoral Award, and was elected by Lincoln Alexander School of Law鈥檚 Class of 2025 for the Contract Faculty Teaching Award. She is or has been a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on health research and advocacy projects funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Open Society Foundations, the United Kingdom Research Institute, and the .
Professor Habibi currently teaches in the areas of public and constitutional law, and public and global health law. She holds a law degree (J.D.) from the University of Ottawa's French Common Law program, a specialization in transnational law from the University of Geneva Faculty of Law, and a Master鈥檚 of Science in Global Health from McMaster University. She is a Barrister and Solicitor in Good Standing with the Law Society of Ontario and is fluent in English, French, and Farsi.鈥疐or updates on Professor Habibi鈥檚 research, teaching and public engagements, visit or follow her on Twitter via @RoojinHabibi.