I-Ju Chen

• LLB (National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan)
• LLM (UCL and National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan)
• Certificate, The Hague Academy of Public International Law
• Certificate, The Macau Academy of International Investment Law 

I am a doctoral researcher with diverse educational backgrounds from Taiwan and Europe (UK and the Netherlands). These studies inspired me to become a scholar in international economic law. Prior to committing myself to work in academia, I was a paralegal in BNP Paribas Cardif (multinational financial company) in Taiwan. My job responsibilities were to, firstly, review contracts and provide legal opinion. Secondly, I assisted to ensure and monitor financial compliance within the company, such as anti-money laundering and implementing good conduct policy. While I was a legal researcher in a prestigious thinktank in Taiwan, the research tasks, including writing reports and publishing research outcomes of projects in various forums, and the associated training intensified my goal to become a legal scholar. Owing to my academic enthusiasm, I started a PhD in law in January 2015 and expect to complete it in 2018.

PhD title

Examining the environmental impact of the Asia-Pacific PTAs: Towards the goal of fisheries sustainability

Supervisors

Dr Luca Rubini and Professor Rilka Dragneva-Lewers

Course

Law PhD / PhD by Distance Learning / MPhil / MJur

My research project aims to explore how the preferential trade agreements (PTAs) in the Asia-Pacific protect the environment, specifically the ocean protection. Crucially, the environmental provisions have been frequently incorporated into the PTAs to ensure that they serve as an effective tool to protect the environment. Yet the interaction between the PTAs and environmental protection uncovers some difficulties, which mainly revolve around the conflict of interests inherent in environmental matters and the economic and political divergences in the Asia-Pacific. This kind of obstacle was also involved in the debate of restricting fisheries subsidies for the goal of fisheries sustainability. Thus, the objective of my research is to evaluate the environmental clauses in the PTAs, including provisions on fisheries subsidies in the TPP, so as to find out a ‘best balance’ approach to protect the environment while liberalising trade.

Source of Funding: University of Birmingham College of Arts and Law Doctoral Scholarship and Taiwanese Government Overseas Study Scholarship 

• Blogging: I wrote two pieces regarding the legal education in Taiwan and an introduction of applications for PhD in law in the Beyond My Ethnicity. This E-magazine is funded by the Educational Enhancement Fund of the University of Birmingham.
• Executive editor in a referred journal (2009-2010): Science and Technology Law Review, published by Science and Technology Law Institute (Thinktank) in Taiwan.
• Student executive editor in a referred journal (2007-2008): Chung Hsing University Law Review, published by Department of Law, National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan.
• Public international law moot court competitions: I was an initiator and leader in the National Chung Hsing University Team in Jessup 2006. The team was awarded Third Prize in the national round. In 2014, I co-coached the UCL Team in Telders. The team was awarded Second Prize in the national round.
• Birmingham Law School PGRs Representative 2016-2017
• Member, Chinese (Taiwan) Society of International Law, Branch of ILA
• Member, The British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL)