Dr Daria Shapovalova

Biography

Daria joined the School of Law in 2017 and is a senior lecturer in energy law. She is the director of the Centre for Energy Law and coordinator of the Just Transitions Lab. With research interests in energy and environmental law, Daria is working on interdisciplinary approaches to climate, energy, and just transition regulation. She leads and collaborates on a number of funded projects including ‘A Just Transition for Workers and Communities in the North East of Scotland’ (Uplift, 2022-2024), ‘Just Transition Communities Project’ (Scottish Government Just Transition Fund (2022-2025), and  TRANSECTS (TRANSitions In Energy For Coastal Communities Over Time And Space) (UKRI and DEFRA 2024-20228). Critical approaches to the role of law in facilitating sustainability transformations, stakeholder and community engagement, as well as the use of mixed methods for legal research are at the core of Daria’s work as she is currently preparing a manuscript on fossil fuels phase-out and just transition.

Daria holds an LLB (National Law Academy of Ukraine, 2012) and an LLM in Public International Law (University of Groningen, 2013),  and a PhD in Law (University of Aberdeen, 2017). She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a member of the UK Environmental Law Association, the World Commission of Environmental Law, and the International Law Association. Daria is the Chair of the Scottish Arctic Network (2023-2025) bringing together over 200 Arctic researchers and practitioners. With strong connections to the North East of Scotland, Daria is on the boards of the Ukrainian Hub Aberdeen and the North East Climate Action Network Hub, in addition to her role as the University's representative on Sustainable City and Community Empowerment groups at the Aberdeen City Council.

Prizes and Awards

2024 Principal's Excellence Award Winner - Best Overall Course

Research Overview

Daria leads and collaborates on a number of funded projects including ‘A Just Transition for Workers and Communities in the North East of Scotland’ (Uplift, 2022-2024), ‘Just Transition Communities Project’ (Scottish Government Just Transition Fund (2022-2025), and  TRANSECTS (TRANSitions In Energy For Coastal Communities Over Time And Space) (UKRI and DEFRA 2024-20228). Critical approaches to the role of law in facilitating sustainability transformations, stakeholder and community engagement, as well as the use of mixed methods for legal research are at the core of Daria’s work as she is currently preparing a manuscript on fossil fuels phase-out and just transition.

Funding and Grants

Ongoing:

1) Co-I, 'TRANSECTS: TRANSitions in Energy for Coastal Communities Over Time and Space' (2024-2028) UKRI and DEFRA, £2,259,133

2) Co-I, 'Nuclear Decommissioning and Just Transition in Dounreay' (2024) Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and National Decommissioning Centre, £44, 448

3) Co-I 'Advancing Community Climate Deliberative Participatory Democracy within the North East Scotland/Just Transition Communities Project' (2022-2205) Scottish Government Just Transition Fund, £127, 250

Past:

1) PI, 'A Just Transition for Workers and Communities in the North East of Scotland' (2022-2024) Uplift, £100,000

2) Co-I, 'Transitions in an Energy City: The role of Civil Society in Securing a Just Transition in Aberdeen' (2022) Pump Prime, £9,500

3) PI, ‘Just Energy Transition in Scotland and the Arctic: Managing Environmental and Social Impacts of Low-Carbon Energy Projects’ (2021) Scottish Government Arctic Connections Fund, £7,070

4) Co-I, '(Un)earthing New Pathways for a Justice Transition: Cultivating Hope and Food on Contested Terrains in Scotland, Amazon, and the Arctic' (2021) SUUI, £13,500

Non-course Teaching Responsibilities

Daria supervises research students in international, environmental, energy, and climate law.

Currently she supervises PhD students:

Alina Holzhausen, Human Rights-Based Climate Change Litigation (first supervisor)

Liliyana Kalinova, On the Provision of Environmental Law for Mars (second supervisor)