Q&A with The Bonavero Institute’s incoming Director, Professor Rachel Murray
We are excited to welcome Professor Rachel Murray, a leading authority in the field of human rights law as our new incoming Director.
Professor Murray is currently a Professor of Human Rights at the University of Bristol. She has dedicated her career to advancing international human rights standards, particularly through her work on regional human rights mechanisms and the African human rights system. She has advised governments, international organisations, and NGOs, and her research has shaped policy and practice around the globe.
We asked Professor Murray a few questions so we can get to know her better before she joins on 1 October.
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Q. What drew you to the post of Director of the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights? |
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Having co-founded with Professor Sir Malcolm Evans and directed the Human Rights Implementation Centre at the University of Bristol since 2009, I was looking for a new challenge which combined both practice and academia. I have long been an admirer of the Bonavero Institute, and its national and international reputation, the impressive diversity of the Institute's research, activities, events and those connected to it, which places it as an influential actor in the human rights sphere. Academic institutions, and even more so, the prestigious Bonavero Institute, that conduct robust research offer a neutral and much needed space in these divisive times for the discussion of human rights issues. |
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Q. What’s your vision for your period as Director or is it too soon to tell? |
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I am, firstly, very keen to meet people, to really understand the role of the Institute in the University, and to hear more from all those within the Institute and connected to it, about the work they have been doing and their views and ideas on its future direction. I want to take as a starting point, and continue, the collaborative and inclusive approach that appears to have been the hallmark of the Bonavero Institute to date. |
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Q. You are someone who has combined human rights scholarship with practice, which relates strongly to the strategic goal of the Institute to bring scholars and practitioners together. Do you have any thoughts on why this might be important that you would like to share? |
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I see scholarship and practice as inter-related and mutually supportive. Working in practice, and engaging with others, whether they are national and international organisations, governments, the judiciary, parliamentarians or civil society, enhances the quality and depth of scholarship and knowledge. Conversely, academic research can offer that time and space to step back from the day-to-day challenges in practice and identify solutions. |
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Q. What do you do in your free time? |
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I like to run (although slowly!), swim, walk the dog, spend time with my (mostly now adult) children and family, and read fiction. |