Skip to main content

Fellow in Focus – Dr Matilda Gillis

Matilda Gillis joined Corpus in Michaelmas 2022 as the Hong Kong Link Research Fellow and College Lecturer in Law.

Matilda researches in international law, human rights law and immigration law. Her doctoral research, which she is currently revising into a monograph, examined how international courts and domestic legislatures protect immigration rights.

Matilda first came to Cambridge in 2018 to complete an LLM at Trinity College, which was funded by a Henry Arthur Hollond Studentship and an (Honorary) Lionel Murphy Postgraduate Scholarship. She won several prizes for her LLM performance, including the Clive Parry Prize for International Law for the best performance in the international law designation of the LLM. Matilda then moved to Peterhouse to complete her PhD, which was funded by a Peterhouse Graduate Research Studentship.

Matilda is also a qualified Australian lawyer and has worked as a solicitor in constitutional law for the Australian Government Solicitor.

What attracted you to working in Cambridge?

My main field of research is in international law and human rights law, and, with the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, Cambridge is one of the best places in the world for research in these areas. More generally, Cambridge is an incredibly dynamic and exciting place to be. There is always something happening and interesting people to talk to and learn from.

Tell us about your experience so far as a Fellow of Corpus?

Life as a Fellow of Corpus has been great. I have been able to get stuck into research again following the end of my PhD and I have been supervising Corpus students in international law and in criminal law. I have also been Director of Studies for first year law students and LLM students, and I have recently become a Tutor for postgraduate students in arts and humanities.

More generally, I have found the Corpus community – Fellows, students and staff - to be incredibly welcoming, and full of passionate, fun and interesting people. Having completed my LLM at Trinity College (one of the biggest colleges) and my PhD at Peterhouse (the smallest college), I have found Corpus to be the perfect balance between the two. It is a really special place.

How has your Fellowship helped your research?

Without the funding for my Fellowship, I wouldn’t be able to undertake my current research projects – at least not to the extent I currently am. To have a research position, which lets you have the space and time to think is a very unique opportunity and there are not many like it. I am using the fellowship specifically to turn my PhD into a monograph and to undertake other research in the areas of human rights law and criminal law, and, specifically, in the interaction between the two.

Learn more Matilda’s career here