Dr Francesca Farrington

Biography

Francesca has a broad interest in law and development, business and human rights, and freedom of expression. In the development context, her research focuses on rule of law promotion and institutional theories of law. As for business and human rights, she is primarily interested in the private international law dimension of transnational corporate accountability. 

In Aberdeen, she is an active member of the Anti-SLAPP Research Hub where she and her colleagues investigate the strategic use of litigation to suppress freedom of expression on matters of public interest. She has acted as a consultant on SLAPPs for the European Parliament and the United Nations' Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights. She was appointed as a TrialWatch Expert for the Clooney Foundation for Justice in 2024.

Outside of the University of Aberdeen, Francesca is a Research Associate at the Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge and a member of the Rule of Law and Economic Development Working Group at McGill University.

Prizes and Awards

Yorke Prize (Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge 2023)

Principal's Excellence Award for Research Impact (University of Aberdeen, 2025)

Teaching Responsibilities

Law and Sustainable Development

Law and Sustainable Global Value Chains

Politics of Human Rights

Jurisprudence

Corporate Governance

Comparative and International Perspectives on Company Law

Private International Law