Faculty Profile

Associate Professor LIU Nengye (LLB, LLM, Wuhan, PhD, Ghent) teaches and conducts research at the nexus of the law of the sea and international environmental law. Prof LIU has taken the lead to edit three books: “The European Union and the Arctic” (Brill, 2017), “Governing Marine Living Resources in the Polar Regions” (Edward Elgar, 2019); “The Law of the Sea and the Planetary Crisis” (Routledge, 2025); published 50+ refereed journal articles (e.g., International and Comparative Law Quarterly, Leiden Journal of International Law) and book chapters; and delivered 100+ presentations about his research findings across five continents. Prof LIU sits on the editorial board of Marine Policy (Elsevier), Ocean Development and International Law (Taylor & Francis) and Polar Record (Cambridge University Press). He is the Founding Chair of Steering Committee of Asia Pacific Research Alliance on Law and Sustainability (2024 – present) and Founding Director of Singapore Sustainability Futures Initiative (2025 – present) at SMU’s Centre for Commercial Law in Asia. He also serves as Co-Chair of the Law of the Sea Interest Group, American Society of International Law (2025 – 2028) and a Member of International Law Association Committee Urbanisation and International Law – Potentials and Pitfalls (2024 – 2028).

Qualifications

• Doctor of Law, Ghent University, Belgium
• LLM, Wuhan University, China
• LLB, Wuhan University, China

Course Taught in SMU

• Introduction to Sustainability Law
• Ethics and Social Responsibility
• Sustainable Ocean Law and Governance

Research Areas / Areas of Specialisation

• Ocean Law and Policy
• International Environmental Law
• International Polar Law (Arctic and Antarctica)
• Cities and International Law