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Staff Profile

Dr Sean Molloy

NUAcT Fellow: Economic & Social Sciences

Background

Dr Sean Molloy is a NUAcT Fellow in Law at Newcastle University, specialising in international law, children's rights, and peacebuilding. He holds a PhD in Law from the University of Edinburgh, where his doctoral research examined how states regulate and influence business contributions to peacebuilding. Sean also holds master’s degrees in Human Rights Law and Transitional Justice (University of Ulster, with Distinction) and International Business and Commercial Law (Liverpool John Moores University, with Distinction), and an LLB in Law from Queen’s University Belfast.

Before joining Newcastle, Sean held research and teaching positions at the University of Edinburgh, University of Ulster, and Northumbria University, and has collaborated with numerous international organisations and government departments.

His academic career has been complemented by extensive policy consultancy and applied legal work in conflict-affected and transitional settings. He has served as:

  • Consultant to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights, contributing legal analysis on emergency law and the protection of rights during states of emergency.
  • Consultant to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) on projects relating to constitutional design, legislative scrutiny, and democratic accountability.
  • Legal Expert for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in Syria, advising on the governance and regulation of multi-donor trust funds in post-conflict recovery.
  • Research Fellow with the Global Justice Academy at the University of Edinburgh, contributing to the development of the PA-X Peace Agreements Database – now a leading international resource for policymakers and peacebuilding practitioners.

Sean is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and teaches across international law, human rights, and transitional justice. He has also designed and delivered training for Durham Constabulary on applying human rights principles in policing practice.

His career combines academic excellence, policy influence, and global engagement, underpinned by a commitment to strengthening the legal and institutional conditions for sustainable peace and justice.

Memberships and Professional Affiliations

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) (awarded 2023)
  • Member, Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA) (since 2022)
  • Member, British International Studies Association (since 2022)
  • Member, Global Network on Children, Youth and International Politics (since 2023)
  • Collaboration with international scholars and practitioners advancing research on children and youth in global governance and peacebuilding
  • Senior Research Affiliate, Peace and Conflict Resolution Evidence Platform (PeaceRep) (since 2019)
  • Associate Member, Global Justice Academy, University of Edinburgh
  • Consultant Expert Network, International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA)

Reviewer:

  • International Journal of Human Rights
  • Human Rights Law Review
  • International Journal of Transitional Justice
  • Journal of Human Rights Practice
  • International Journal of Children's Rights
  • European Journal of Political Research
  • USAID, UNDP Oslo Governance Centre, Save the Children, and SwissPeace reports.


Research

Dr Molloy’s research is situated at the intersection of children’s rights, international law, and peacebuilding. His work explores how legal frameworks – including peace agreements, transitional constitutions, and human rights mechanisms – can promote the protection, participation, and empowerment of children in societies recovering from conflict.

Children, Peace Processes and Transitional Justice

Sean is widely recognised for his leadership in developing a new research agenda on children’s inclusion in peace processes. His forthcoming book, Children and Peace Agreements: Inclusion, Rights, and Post-Conflict Futures (Brill/Nijhoff, 2026), provides the first systematic analysis of how peace agreements across the globe have addressed the rights and wellbeing of children.

He is the creator and lead researcher of the Children and Peace Agreements Database, part of the PeaceRep programme at the University of Edinburgh. This open-access database documents how peace agreements incorporate child-related provisions on protection, demobilisation, education, justice, and participation. The project has informed work by UNICEF, civil society organisations, and national peace support teams working to make peace processes more inclusive of children and youth.

His related studies examine:

  • Child participation and voice in international law and peace negotiations.
  • Child soldiers and accountability mechanisms in transitional justice.
  • Socioeconomic rights of children in post-conflict recovery.
  • The role of UN treaty bodies, especially the Committee on the Rights of the Child, in monitoring and advancing children’s rights in fragile states.

His recent articles include:

  • “Children, Socioeconomic Rights and Transitional Justice,” International Journal of Transitional Justice (2025).
  • “Child Soldiers and Peace Agreements: Taking Stock and Moving Forward,” International and Comparative Law Quarterly (2024).
  • “Applying the Lundy Model to Treaty Body Recommendations,” Leiden Journal of International Law (2024).
  • “Exclusionary Inclusion? Peace Agreements and Provisions on Child Protection,” Nordic Journal of Human Rights (2023).
  • “Advancing Children’s Rights in Peace Processes,” Human Rights Law Review (2022).

International Law, Peacebuilding, and Democratic Transitions

Alongside his focus on children, Sean’s wider research investigates how international law and human rights norms shape transitions from conflict to peace and democracy. His work has addressed:

  • The role of sunset clauses and post-legislative scrutiny in ensuring accountability in emergency law.
  • The contribution of business regulation to peacebuilding (Business, Peacebuilding and Regulation: The Role of the State, Routledge, 2024).
  • The relationship between human rights treaty ratification and post-conflict political settlement.
  • The function of national human rights institutions in transitional societies.

Sean has led and contributed to major international research programmes, including:

  • PeaceRep: The Peace and Conflict Resolution Evidence Platform (University of Edinburgh) – leading on children’s rights and inclusive peace agreements.
  • International IDEA – researching post-legislative review and democratic governance.
  • Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) – co-authoring the Public Law Series on sunset clauses and accountability.

His work has been cited in numerous high-level policy reports and used by organisations such as the UN, OECD, USAID, and the UK Parliament.

Engagement and Knowledge Exchange

Sean regularly writes for public and policy platforms, including PeaceRep, Peace Insight, Prospect Magazine, and the UK Human Rights Law Blog, helping bridge the gap between academic research and public debate.

He has presented his research at leading international forums, including:

  • Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) – Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development.
  • SwissPeace Workshop on Financing Peace Processes.
  • British Academy Roundtable on the Common Good and Human Rights.
  • Chatham House Conference on Business and Human Rights.
  • European Network of National Human Rights Institutions Workshop (Croatia) on NHRIs and Peacebuilding.

Sean’s current projects continue to explore how law can help children and young people shape the futures of their societies — ensuring that peacebuilding processes are not only inclusive but genuinely transformative.

Teaching

Sean has taught extensively across international law, human rights, and public law, both at undergraduate and postgraduate level. His teaching is informed by his practical engagement with policymakers and human rights actors. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and has previously served as a Lecturer in Law at Northumbria University and a Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh.

Current Teaching

LAW1222 Introduction to Global Law

LAW 3035 Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Law

LAW 8091 Legal Research: Theory and Method

LAW 8099 Dissertation

LAW 3098 Dissertation in La

I welcome PhD applications within the fields of Children's Rights, Public International Law, Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding

Current PhD Students

Ebun Bamigboye, Children's Rights in Peace Processes

Publications