Catherine Blanchard is a post-doctoral researcher at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) and Utrecht University, member of the multidisciplinary project “Protecting deep seabed hydrothermal vent fields through area-based management tools“.
Catherine holds a civil law degree (LL.L, 2012) and a bachelor degree in international development and globalization (B.Sc.Soc Hon DVM, 2012) from the University of Ottawa, Canada, as well as a Juris Doctor from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada (JD, 2013). She also obtained a master degree in Public International Law from Utrecht University (LL.M., 2015). Since 2014, Catherine is also a member of the Law Society of Ontario (Barrister and Solicitor, Ontario Bar Association, Canada). Catherine’s obtained her doctorate degree in Public International Law from Utrecht University (PhD, 2020), and her research, building on multidisciplinary insights, explored the possible impact of an integrated oceans governance approach on the fragmented regime of international fisheries, focusing on areas beyond national jurisdiction. Her doctoral research was funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) Research Talent Grant. She was also awarded a Doctoral Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
Catherine’s research interests include the law of the sea, international environmental law, deep-sea ecosystem management, the legal regimes for areas beyond national jurisdiction, international fisheries law, (environmental) governance studies and multidisciplinary approaches. She also has a particular interest in stakeholder engagement and policy research.
Catherine is also a co-convener of the Earth System Governance Project’s Task Force on Earth System Law.
