Janina Dill 

I am a Professor at the Blavatnik School of Government of the University of Oxford. I am Co-Director of the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law, and Armed Conflict (ELAC) and a Professorial Fellow at Trinity College Oxford.

My research concerns the role of law and morality in international relations, specifically in war. I focus on three strands of work. 

First, I write about the legal requirements for the conduct of military operations, speaking to debates on International Law on the use of force and International Humanitarian Law (IHL). 

Second, I seek to explain how moral and legal norms affect the reality of war. I investigate the capacity of law to constrain military decision-making, how norms shape public opinion and the attitudes of conflict-affected populations i.e. in Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Iraq.

Third, I develop theories about how international law can be an instrument of morality in war, albeit an imperfect one. This work contributes to debates in just war theory and jurisprudence.

In 2021, I won a Philip Leverhulme Prize for researchers "whose work has had international impact and whose future research career is exceptionally promising." I am using the prize to conduct research on decision-making in war. 

2024-2027, I am working on a project entitled "Cumulative Civilian Harm: Addressing the Hidden Human Cost of the Law's Blind Spot", which is funded by a joint grant from the ESRC and the National Science Foundation. 

In 2025-2027, I am also co-leading an expert process co-organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict (ELAC) regarding the concept of military objective under IHL. 

I am frequently asked to speak in the media on laws and ethics of war. Please see my Media page for details.