Fresh from receiving a Fulbright Visiting Scholar Award last week, our Antarctic law expert Professor Jeff McGee has been appointed as the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Visiting Legal Fellow for 2026–2027.
The Program appoints two leading international law experts for a two-year period, to encourage greater dialogue and cooperation between the Department and academia on emerging international legal issues.
Professor McGee is an internationally recognised expert on Antarctic law and geopolitics, with extensive experience in research, policy engagement, and international collaboration. He is a Professor of Antarctic, Marine and Climate Change Law at the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies and Faculty of Law.
He is also a chief investigator on the project ‘Eyes South: Revealing Dual Use Technologies in Antarctica’ and serves on the editorial boards of five leading international journals including the Yearbook of Polar Law, Review of European Comparative and International Environmental Law, and International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law, Economics.
“I am honoured to be given the opportunity to engage with the Department, and to provide pragmatic, policy-relevant legal advice, particularly related to Antarctica and the Southern Ocean – which is a region of growing global significance,” Professor McGee said.
Fellow appointee, Professor Penelope Crossley, is an energy law expert at the University of Sydney Law School and a senior expert legal advisor to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), advising on the legal and policy aspects of financing the energy transition.
“Visiting Fellowships like this are so valuable for sharing knowledge, building connections between academia and government, and exploring different ways of thinking about the key challenges which Australia faces as in the international law system,” Professor McGee said.
Professor McGee was awarded the prestigious 2026–2027 Fulbright Visiting Scholar Awards last week. His Fulbright project, Strengthening Australian and United States Cooperation in the Polar South, will examine pathways to enhance bilateral collaboration on Antarctic law, governance and policy. Read more...
Cover image: Pier van der Merwe IMAS