School of Law and Social Sciences

31/08/2026

📢 We're Hiring: Lecturers in Law (2 Posts Available)

The School of Law and Social Sciences at Robert Gordon University is seeking to appoint two Full-Time Lecturers in Law to join our thriving and professionally focused Law team.

2 Positions are available, we are looking for:

⚖️ Legal practitioner with particular strengths in the following areas of law; Criminal Law (including relevant socio-legal disciplines), Delict, Energy Law or Maritime Law, alongside a more general familiarity with the core elements of the Law Society of Scotland's Foundation Outcomes, (as well as the core elements of the law curriculum).

📚 Legal academic with a research background. In addition to teaching, you will be expected to undertake research and consultancy activities as appropriate. It is expected that you will have an existing research profile at an appropriate level to your career stage, which may include research outputs, and evidence of submission of bids for external research funding (either as lead or co-investigator).

✅ Permanent full-time roles (35hrs per week)
✅ Based at Garthdee Campus, Aberdeen
✅ Hybrid working opportunities
✅ Salary £39,906 - £56,535 per annum
✅ Generous annual leave and pension benefits

📅 Closing date: 20 September 2026

Apply today: https://myjobscotland.gov.uk/education/rgu/jobs/lecturers-law-2-posts-486392

View details and apply for this lecturing (further / higher education) role in with RGU on myjobscotland

30/08/2026

We're delighted to see Dr Sarah Sivers and Professor Simon Burnett partnering with Aberdeen Science Centre for 'Unmasking Health Misinformation: Sorting Fact from Fiction'.

📅 Tuesday 8th September 2026
🕕 6–8pm
🎟️ £3 per attendee

How can you tell whether the health information you see online or in the media is reliable? And what impact can misinformation have on individuals and communities?

Join us for an engaging evening exploring how health misinformation is created, shared and understood.

Find out more and register here 👇

Join us at Aberdeen Science Centre for an engaging evening exploring how health misinformation is created, shared and understood.

28/08/2026

📸 Looking back to a memorable day in July!

As part of their graduation celebrations, a group of our Construction Law and Arbitration LLM/MSc students visited our Garthdee campus to mark the successful completion of their studies.

The visit provided an opportunity to meet Course Leader Dr Andrey Kotelnikov, reconnect with lecturers, and spend time with members of the School team who supported them throughout their learning journey.

It was a pleasure to celebrate this important achievement together and recognise the commitment and hard work that have brought our graduates to this milestone.
Congratulations to all our graduates, and we wish you every success for the future.

🔗Find out more about the course here: https://www.rgu.ac.uk/study/courses/pgcert-pgdip-llm-msc-construction-law-and-arbitration

27/08/2026

Following an inspiring visit to Finland, Rebecca Marchant-Cox, Rachel O'Neill and Kim Harkness are excited to share their reflections and findings from the Finland visit, funded by SEEP.

From new ideas and fresh perspectives to opportunities for future collaboration, the report highlights the lessons learned and how they may influence future developments.

📖 Read the report via the GCLC Reports and Insights page: https://www.rgu.ac.uk/life-at-rgu/learning-facilities/law-facilities/grampian-community-law-centre/about-the-gclc

Under the supervision of our Law Clinic Manager, student advisors provide advice and assistance on the many subjects and issues.

26/08/2026

Professor Simon Burnett is presenting findings of the Dark Knowledge Scoping Review (which was conducted alongside Lyndsay Mesjar) at the 19th International Conference on Information Society (i-Society 2026) in a paper entitled: 'The Emerging Shape of Dark Knowledge'.

I-Society 2026 will be held on 24th to 26th August 2026 at Churchill College, University of Cambridge. The project was funded by The British Academy/Leverhulme Small Grant award (SRG24\241726).

The i-Society 2026 is a global knowledge-enriched collaborative effort that has its roots from both academia and industry.

20/08/2026

Multiperspective Multimedia and Making Meaning of the Macabre 🪦

Last summer an interdisciplinary team from the School, anchored by Chris Yuill and Saorfhlaith Burton - and including Gerry McGee, Hayley Christie and Simon Burnett - worked with marketing and media company Mearns & Gill to produce a podcast series: the RGU Crime Files (find it wherever you get your podcasts or Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Amazon Music).

This series explores some of the tragic and dark events from Aberdeen's past and used our academic perspectives to put them in social, cultural and legal context.

Inspired by the Bloody Aberdeen trail and examined things such as a famous murder, the Aberdeen witch trials or the institutionalised kidnapping of children.

We are proud of the positive reaction from listeners and that the podcast was first nominated as a "Podcast Rising Star" at the True Crime Awards and then awarded a "highly commended" rating in the True Crime Category of the Scottish Podcast Awards, putting it ahead of a number of heavyweight productions.

Mearns and Gill have written their reflections here 👇

https://www.mearns-gill.com/work/rgu-crime-files-podcast-production

17/08/2026

Professor Paul Arnell recently had a very interesting, enlightening and enjoyable week at Bahria University for the International Summer School 2026 on Public International Law and Human Rights. This event was jointly organised by Robert Gordon University School of Law and Social Sciences and Bahria University.

📸Anees Tahir

16/08/2026

Congratulations to Professor Paul Cleverley, Visiting Professor at the School of Law and Social Sciences, Robert Gordon University, whose letter has been published in The Guardian. Professor Cleverley highlights the importance of transparent standards for measuring openness in AI, arguing that genuine international collaboration depends on honest and accountable approaches to AI development.

Read the full article on The Guardian website here 👇

Letters: Responding to an article by China’s ambassador to the UK, Prof Paul H Cleverley advocates shared openness standards, while Dr Claire Jenkins says British AI can offer a distinctive path

11/08/2026

In June, the School of Law and Social Sciences delivered Access to Law workshops to S5 school pupils from schools across the city and the Shire. The participants learn about law basics and the study of Scots law at university level, Legal Career paths, Negotiation skills, and Advocacy skills, specifically a plea in mitigation session.

This year the Plea in Mitigation workshop was led by David Nicolson KC and part-time Sheriff. David delivered an excellent talk on his journey into the legal profession, his work as a criminal defence lawyer, and the purpose of a plea in mitigation. After delivering a masterful demonstration of how to present a plea in court, the participants worked enthusiastically on preparing and delivering their own ‘plea in mitigation’ on behalf of a fictitious client.

Many thanks to all of our Access to Law contributors whose valuable input to this excellent initiative were greatly received by all participants and the school. Special thanks to our guest, David Nicolson KC, and law colleagues, Dr Uche Iloka, Dr Andrey Kotelnikov, and Maggie Anderson who leads and coordinates the Access to law sessions, and finally to our colleagues from Widening Access, Terri Foubister and Connor Anderson.

03/08/2026

An Interview with Dr Claire Mitchell: Scottish Witch Trials and the Law

We recently welcomed Dr Claire Mitchell KC to Aberdeen for a special talk on the Scottish Witch Trials and the Law. Hosted by Robert Gordon University’s School of Law and Social Sciences, the event revealed uncomfortable truths about belief, power, and how societies turn on their most vulnerable.

For Claire, an advocate and co-founder of the Witches of Scotland campaign, the story of witchcraft accusations isn’t just historical, it’s a warning that continues to shape how we understand justice today. Read the full story on RGView.

We also delved into Aberdeen's connection to Witch Trials in Episode 4 of our RGU Crime Files podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.

We recently welcomed Dr Claire Mitchell KC to Aberdeen for a special talk on the Scottish Witch Trials and the Law. Hosted by RGU’s School of Law and Social Sciences, the event revealed uncomfortable truths about belief, power, and how societies turn on their most vulnerable.