Dr Sara Razai

Biography

Dr Sara Razai is a Research Leader and International Projects Lead at BIICL, based at the Centre for Comparative Law. She specialises in human rights, justice reform, and empirical legal research, with a particular focus on the MENA region and the Global South.

Sara holds a PhD in Law from University College London, where her research empirically examined judicial independence and courts across six Arab countries. She has led and contributed to international research and policy reports for governments, civil society organisations, and international institutions on judicial independence, gender disparities, and legal reform in MENA.

At BIICL, Sara's role is twofold: as Research Leader, she conducts research on law in crisis, post-conflict recovery, and transitional justice, with a focus on vulnerable communities, collective rights, and access to justice. As International Projects Lead, she works closely with senior management to expand BIICL's global partnerships and international reach. Her work also reflects broader research interests in the role of law in decolonisation and the impact of emerging technologies, including AI, on justice and human rights.

In addition to her role at BIICL, Sara is a Visiting Professor at Sciences Po, Menton, where she teaches undergraduate courses on Law, Politics and Colonialism in the Global South; Law and Political Institutions in the Mediterranean and MENA; and Negotiation and Advocacy, focusing on human rights, international law, and political institutions in post-colonial contexts. She also delivers training to government officials in areas including judicial independence, international development, human rights, and justice reform.