Marisa McVey

Dr Marisa McVey is a Lecturer in Law at Queen’s University Belfast and a Fellow of the Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice. She holds a LLB in Law and Politics and a LLM in Business and Human Rights (both from QUB), MRes in Management/Business and a PhD in Management (University of St Andrews). Her previous experience includes postdoctoral fellowships at both the University of St Andrews and Aston Law School, in addition to working at a national human rights institution on policy and research.

Marisa’s expertise lies at the intersection of business and human rights. Her research critically examines current and potential mechanisms of corporate accountability for human and environmental rights, and imagines alternatives for a just transition to a sustainable and equitable society.

She is currently working on projects related to human rights due diligence (HRDD) practices, emerging technologies and human rights, and corporate liability for climate change and environmental injustice. Other projects include applying a feminist lens to business and human rights, and interrogating the commodification of health and wellness practices by corporations.

Marisa’s research impact extends beyond the academy, through authorship of reports, policy briefings, blogs, and online articles aimed at the practitioner and public sphere. She has worked in collaboration with NGOs, civil society, stewardship organisations, and regulators to produce research on issues including modern slavery, HRDD and corporate human rights responsibility in relation to climate harm. Alongside collaborators in Scotland, Marisa recently produced the first corporate human rights benchmark assessment of the top Scottish companies. She is currently working on a ENNHRI funded project in partnership with the NI Human Rights Commission to explore NI business approaches to human rights. 

During her PhD, Marisa held a visiting fellowship at UC Berkeley.

2025-2026

Module Co-Ordinator for Theories of Human Rights (PGT)

Business and Human Rights (PGT)

Contract Law (UG)

Company Law and Corporate Governance (MLaw)

Marisa has extensive experience of delivering guest lectures, including at the University of St Andrews, UC Berkeley and the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights at the University of Oxford.

Leadership Roles 

Director of Exploring Law Forum (ELF) at QUB Law School  

ELF empowers students to think creatively and critically about the law, how it operates, who it impacts upon, and how it can be transformed. Law runs through, interacts with, and is changed by the arts, culture and technology. ELF is designed to encourage students to apply their legal education to these areas and think beyond the confines of the lecture hall through book clubs, creative workshops and other interactive events.

Professional Memberships

MAGGI Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public and International Law

Fellow at the Centre for Sustainability, Equality and Climate Action (QUB)

Centre For Social and Environmental Accounting Research

Global Business and Human Rights Scholars Association

Socio-Legal Scholars Association

Society of Legal Scholars

Global Network for Human Rights and the Environment