Staff profile

Dr Yanwen Zhang is Assistant Professor in Public International Law at Durham Law School. She completed her PhD and LLM with distinction at University College London. She is a public international lawyer with a particular interest in international economic law. She has published in leading academic journals on issues relating to the reform of international investment law, and has presented related scholarship at various forums, including events held by American, Asian, and European Societies of International Law. 

Prior to joining Durham, Yanwen served in several research, teaching, and editorial roles. These include Visiting Researcher at Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, Graduate Lecturer at University College London, and Assistant Editor of Journal of World Investment & Trade. She is a member of the Academic Forum on ISDS contributing to the discussions in the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Working Group III on investor-State dispute settlement reform, and has provided research assistance at the United Nations International Law Commission. 

• Public International Law
• International Economic Law
• International Investment Law
• International Dispute Settlement
• International Courts and Tribunals
• International Human Rights Law

Journal Article

• Zhang, Y. (2023). Equitable representation on international benches and the appointment of tribunal members in investor–State dispute settlement: a historical perspective. Journal of International Dispute Settlement, 14(4), 428-450. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnlids/idad021
• Zhang, Y. (2022). The Judicial Function of Investment Tribunals: Taking Foundational Assumptions Seriously. Journal of International Economic Law, 25(1), 129-147. https://doi.org/10.1093/jiel/jgac009