Dr Antonio Coco

Biography

Antonio joined the School of Law at University of Essex in January 2020. Antonio holds a PhD in Law from the University of Geneva (summa cum laude, 2019), an LL.M. in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights from the Geneva Academy (summa cum laude, 2012) and a Master’s Degree in Law from the University of Catania (summa cum laude, 2010). He researches and publishes in the fields of Public International Law, International Criminal Law, International Humanitarian Law and International Law applicable to Information and Communication Technologies. His academic works have been widely cited, most notably by the International Criminal Court and by the United Nations International Law Commission's Special Rapporteur on Crimes Against Humanity. Since January 2020, he is also the Co-Chair of the Journal of International Criminal Justice’s Editorial Committee, of which he had been a member since September 2015. The Journal, published by Oxford University Press, is one of the top law reviews in the field of international law. Antonio is regularly invited to deliver lectures and present his research at conferences, workshops, talks and other types of academic events, among the others organized by the American Society of International Law and the European Society of International Law. Antonio is a Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict (Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford), a member of the Expert Group on 'Mens Rea' for the research project 'Rethinking Secondary Liability for International Crimes' at the University of Amsterdam, and a member of the Sino-European Working Group on the Application of International Law to Cyberspace. In 2019, Antonio was the University of Oxford's delegate to the UN Open-Ended Working Group on Cybersecurity. Prior to moving to Essex, Antonio was a Departmental Lecturer in Public International Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Oxford, starting in October 2017, and a a Junior Research Fellow at St. Peter's College (Oxford). At Oxford he conducted lectures, seminars and tutorials in a variety of courses related to public international law and criminal law. Between September 2012 and September 2017 Antonio was a Teaching Assistant at the Geneva Academy, teaching tutorials in a multitude of courses covering aspects of international law related to armed conflicts, including most notably international criminal law. From February 2016 to January 2017, Antonio was a Visiting Researcher at Harvard Law School, thanks to the “Doc.Mobility” fellowship awarded to him at the end of a competitive process by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). Previously, he had worked as a legal assistant to the Special Rapporteur on Protection of Persons in the event of Disasters at the UN International Law Commission (2012), at the non-governmental organization TRIAL International (2012) and at the Chambers of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (2010). Antonio is admitted to practice law in Italy, where he has worked as defence counsel in criminal trials.

Qualifications

• PhD in Law University of Geneva, (2019)

• LLM Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, (2012)

• Master's Degree in Law University of Catania, (2010)

Appointments

University of Essex

• Lecturer, Law Scool, University of Essex (2/1/2020 - present)

Other academic

• Visiting Fellow, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford (1/9/2019 - present)

• Junior Research Fellow, St Peter's College (1/9/2019 - 30/8/2020)

• Departmental Lecturer, University of Oxford (1/10/2017 - 31/8/2019)

• Teaching Assistant, Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights (1/9/2012 - 30/9/2017)

• Visiting Researcher, Law School, Harvard University (1/2/2016 - 31/1/2017)

• Visiting Lecturer, Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights (1/9/2018 - 31/8/2020)