The Faculty of Law congratulates Professor Joanna Harrington, who has become the first lawyer and legal academic to be awarded a Killam Annual Professorship at the University of Alberta. Each year, a maximum of eight Killam Annual Professorships are awarded to outstanding academics at the University of Alberta. The award is based on scholarly activities including teaching, research, publications, creative activities, presented papers, supervision of graduate students, courses taught, and service to the community beyond the University in activities related to University responsibilities.
The Killam Annual Professorships were established in July 1991 to suitably acknowledge the generous bequest made by Izaak Walton Killam and Dorothy J. Killam to the University of Alberta. The awards are sponsored by the Killam Trusts.
As someone who has worked with lawyers in practice for her research, rather than working from an interdisciplinary perspective, Professor Harrington explained: "I'm delighted to see the recognition that academic lawyers do contribute to scholarly research, and that work with lawyers in practice, government officials and policymakers is recognized alongside work from other disciplines. The Killam award is something very special, in light of the respect for the Killam name and the work of the Trusts, and I'm very thankful for the support I received from Dean Philip Bryden and my colleague, Professor Russ Brown, as well as the support from the external referees, for this award."
Recruited to the University of Alberta in 2004, Joanna Harrington works in the fields of international law and constitutional law, with much of her work focusing on the national implementation of international law obligations in the subfields of international human rights law and international criminal justice. Her work has taken her around the globe, to present at conferences and to participate in international development projects. She has also made efforts to combine her scholarly work with law in practice, whether through collaborations with the military and the International Committee of the Red Cross for a workshop on international humanitarian law, or serving herself as a legal adviser with the United Nations, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Division of Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. She has also represented Canada at several international negotiations at the UN General Assembly and at the Organization of American States. At the local level, Professor Harrington serves as the Chair of the Alberta Press Council and as an Associate Dean with the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. She is also a blogger, contributing posts to EJIL Talk! - the scholarly blog of the European Journal of International Law - with a view to making the legal analysis of current developments in international law accessible to all.
In nominating her for the award, Dean Bryden observed: "Professor Harrington's work exemplifies the commitment to excellence in all aspects of the professorial role that the Killam Annual Professorships were designed to recognize." Professor Harrington's achievement, and the achievements of others receiving awards from the Killam Trusts, were celebrated at a university ceremony on 16 October 2012.