Alumnus of the International Economic Law Master's program ( previously MIEL )
What is your current position and what does it involve?
I am currently Assistant Professor of European Union Law at Dublin City University and Deputy Director of the DCU Brexit Institute. My work involves equal parts teaching, research, and institutional development—although in truth, it’s often hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. I publish widely on rule of law backsliding, comparative federalism, and European constitutional law. I currently also lead and co-develop a major EU-funded research projects on the future of European enlargement, which is called REINFORCE. My daily job? Trying to make sense how to best solve Europe’s crises—and convincing others that the solutions matter.
How did your training at ESL help you in your career?
The ESL in Toulouse was where I first encountered European law as a living organism—dynamic, argumentative, contradictory, and also political. The bilingual and comparative education I received in Toulouse challenged me to think beyond national categories and legal comfort zones. It gave me both the technical tools and the intellectual restlessness that later took me to Paris, New York City and Dublin. ESL doesn’t just prepare you to work in Europe—it gives you the reflexes to question what the European Union is and how it can be changed for the better in the future.
Your best memory from school?
Endless debates at the university steps, followed by argumentative coffee breaks, and fascinating discussions that stretched late into the night. There was little time—between lectures on EU institutional reform and moot court sessions in the library—which allowed us to develop a very dense and comprehensive understanding of the EU, and it nurtured our believe that law can be a change in the world for the better.
Any advice for current students?
Don’t just learn the Regulations and Directives—question who made them, how they work in practice and what is the ultimate goal they aim to achieve. Go beyond the curriculum: read widely on European matters (specifically, law, history, and politics). Spend time with your fellow students. And please: don’t wait for someone to tell you you’re “ready” to write, speak, or publish. Just go for it! The most valuable legal insights often come from young voices that haven’t yet been told what not to say.
