Mary Ellen O’Connell is Research Professor of International Dispute Resolution at the Kroc Institute. She also is the Robert and Marion Short Professor of Law at Notre Dame, a position which she has held since 2005.
O’Connell's research focuses on international legal theory and international law on the use of force. She is the author or editor of numerous books and articles on these subjects, including What is War? An Investigation in the Wake of 9/11 (Martinus Nijhof, forthcoming 2011), The International Legal System, Cases and Materials (with Scott and Roht-Arriaza, Foundation 6th ed. 2010), International Law on the Use of Force, Cases and Materials (Foundation 2d ed. 2009) and The Power and Purpose of International Law, Insights from the Theory and Practice of Enforcement (OUP 2008).
O'Connell teaches a graduate-level course on international dispute resolution, advises Kroc graduate students and collaborates with Kroc faculty on research. A prolific writer and active speaker, O’Connell also contributes to policy studies and public outreach, including articles for Peace Policy, Kroc's online journal. As an engaged Catholic intellectual, she deepens Kroc’s expertise in Catholic social ethics and theory of justice.
She chaired the Use of Force Committee of the International Law Association from 2005 to 2010 and is currently a vice-president of the American Society of International Law. From 1995-1998, Professor O’Connell was a professional military educator for the Department of Defense in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
Prior to joining the Notre Dame faculty, O'Connell was the William B. Saxbe Designated Professor of Law at Ohio State University. She earned her J.D. from Columbia University, and she has taught at Indiana University School of Law; the Bologna Center of The Johns Hopkins University, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Bologna, Italy; the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies; and the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
