School of Law and Social Sciences

02/09/2026

Dr Eleanor Russell appointed as Honorary Professor at Robert Gordon University ⭐

Dr Eleanor Russell has been appointed as an Honorary Professor of Law at the School of Law and Social Sciences, Robert Gordon University. Eleanor is a qualified solicitor and practised as such before entering academia in 1994. She has over 30 years’ experience as a legal academic. She has acted as an external examiner at four Scottish institutions in relation to assessments at undergraduate, master’s and PhD level.

Eleanor’s expertise lies mainly in the areas of Delict and Prescription and Limitation of Actions. She is the co-author of McManus, Conway and Russell, Delict-A Comprehensive Guide to the Law (EUP). She also authored the 7th edition of Prescription and Limitation of Actions (W Green) (previously authored by the late Professor David Walker). That project was completed with funding from the Clark Foundation for Legal Education. Eleanor also contributed the chapters on Breach of Statutory Duty and Prescription and Limitation to the multi-authored Delict (SULI / W Green) publication (edited by the late Professor Joe Thomson).

Eleanor has a particular interest in justice for survivors of historic abuse. She has advised the Scottish government in this area and her published work was influential in leading to the Limitation (Childhood Abuse) (Scotland) Act 2017.

Eleanor also gave oral evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Delegated Powers & Law Reform Committee in relation to the Prescription (Scotland) Bill in 2018.

02/09/2026

At the School of Law and Social Sciences we provide a range of professionally recognised degrees across a wide range of subject areas. Our teaching is delivered by a dynamic team bringing together a blend of practical expertise and academic excellence to provide students with a stimulating and enjoyable education.

By consulting a wide range of relevant industry stakeholders we ensure our courses are topical, relevant and applicable to the needs of the organisations who may employ you. Our courses will prepare you for a wide range of employment options in the private and public sectors including the legal profession, social work, health and social care, child care, child protection, librarian roles, criminal justice and community care, human resources, public relations, police and criminal justice, and community development. Our courses can also lead you to higher or further qualification, research or a teaching qualification.

Our students graduate confident and ready to take on the challenges of their future roles, whilst being proudly equipped with the skills required to add value to our society.

⭐ 2nd in Scotland for student satisfaction in Social Sciences (88.9%)
⭐ 3rd in Scotland for student satisfaction in Social Work (93%)
⭐ 7th in Scotland for student satisfaction in Law (86.1%)

31/08/2026

📢 We're Hiring: Lecturers in Law (2 Posts Available)

The School of Law and Social Sciences at Robert Gordon University is seeking to appoint two Full-Time Lecturers in Law to join our thriving and professionally focused Law team.

2 Positions are available, we are looking for:

⚖️ Legal practitioner with particular strengths in the following areas of law; Criminal Law (including relevant socio-legal disciplines), Delict, Energy Law or Maritime Law, alongside a more general familiarity with the core elements of the Law Society of Scotland's Foundation Outcomes, (as well as the core elements of the law curriculum).

📚 Legal academic with a research background. In addition to teaching, you will be expected to undertake research and consultancy activities as appropriate. It is expected that you will have an existing research profile at an appropriate level to your career stage, which may include research outputs, and evidence of submission of bids for external research funding (either as lead or co-investigator).

✅ Permanent full-time roles (35hrs per week)
✅ Based at Garthdee Campus, Aberdeen
✅ Hybrid working opportunities
✅ Salary £39,906 - £56,535 per annum
✅ Generous annual leave and pension benefits

📅 Closing date: 20 September 2026

Apply today: https://myjobscotland.gov.uk/education/rgu/jobs/lecturers-law-2-posts-486392

View details and apply for this lecturing (further / higher education) role in with RGU on myjobscotland

30/08/2026

We're delighted to see Dr Sarah Sivers and Professor Simon Burnett partnering with Aberdeen Science Centre for 'Unmasking Health Misinformation: Sorting Fact from Fiction'.

📅 Tuesday 8th September 2026
🕕 6–8pm
🎟️ £3 per attendee

How can you tell whether the health information you see online or in the media is reliable? And what impact can misinformation have on individuals and communities?

Join us for an engaging evening exploring how health misinformation is created, shared and understood.

Find out more and register here 👇

Join us at Aberdeen Science Centre for an engaging evening exploring how health misinformation is created, shared and understood.

28/08/2026

📸 Looking back to a memorable day in July!

As part of their graduation celebrations, a group of our Construction Law and Arbitration LLM/MSc students visited our Garthdee campus to mark the successful completion of their studies.

The visit provided an opportunity to meet Course Leader Dr Andrey Kotelnikov, reconnect with lecturers, and spend time with members of the School team who supported them throughout their learning journey.

It was a pleasure to celebrate this important achievement together and recognise the commitment and hard work that have brought our graduates to this milestone.
Congratulations to all our graduates, and we wish you every success for the future.

🔗Find out more about the course here: https://www.rgu.ac.uk/study/courses/pgcert-pgdip-llm-msc-construction-law-and-arbitration

27/08/2026

Following an inspiring visit to Finland, Rebecca Marchant-Cox, Rachel O'Neill and Kim Harkness are excited to share their reflections and findings from the Finland visit, funded by SEEP.

From new ideas and fresh perspectives to opportunities for future collaboration, the report highlights the lessons learned and how they may influence future developments.

📖 Read the report via the GCLC Reports and Insights page: https://www.rgu.ac.uk/life-at-rgu/learning-facilities/law-facilities/grampian-community-law-centre/about-the-gclc

Under the supervision of our Law Clinic Manager, student advisors provide advice and assistance on the many subjects and issues.

26/08/2026

Professor Simon Burnett is presenting findings of the Dark Knowledge Scoping Review (which was conducted alongside Lyndsay Mesjar) at the 19th International Conference on Information Society (i-Society 2026) in a paper entitled: 'The Emerging Shape of Dark Knowledge'.

I-Society 2026 will be held on 24th to 26th August 2026 at Churchill College, University of Cambridge. The project was funded by The British Academy/Leverhulme Small Grant award (SRG24\241726).

The i-Society 2026 is a global knowledge-enriched collaborative effort that has its roots from both academia and industry.

20/08/2026

Multiperspective Multimedia and Making Meaning of the Macabre 🪦

Last summer an interdisciplinary team from the School, anchored by Chris Yuill and Saorfhlaith Burton - and including Gerry McGee, Hayley Christie and Simon Burnett - worked with marketing and media company Mearns & Gill to produce a podcast series: the RGU Crime Files (find it wherever you get your podcasts or Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Amazon Music).

This series explores some of the tragic and dark events from Aberdeen's past and used our academic perspectives to put them in social, cultural and legal context.

Inspired by the Bloody Aberdeen trail and examined things such as a famous murder, the Aberdeen witch trials or the institutionalised kidnapping of children.

We are proud of the positive reaction from listeners and that the podcast was first nominated as a "Podcast Rising Star" at the True Crime Awards and then awarded a "highly commended" rating in the True Crime Category of the Scottish Podcast Awards, putting it ahead of a number of heavyweight productions.

Mearns and Gill have written their reflections here 👇

https://www.mearns-gill.com/work/rgu-crime-files-podcast-production

17/08/2026

Professor Paul Arnell recently had a very interesting, enlightening and enjoyable week at Bahria University for the International Summer School 2026 on Public International Law and Human Rights. This event was jointly organised by Robert Gordon University School of Law and Social Sciences and Bahria University.

📸Anees Tahir

16/08/2026

Congratulations to Professor Paul Cleverley, Visiting Professor at the School of Law and Social Sciences, Robert Gordon University, whose letter has been published in The Guardian. Professor Cleverley highlights the importance of transparent standards for measuring openness in AI, arguing that genuine international collaboration depends on honest and accountable approaches to AI development.

Read the full article on The Guardian website here 👇

Letters: Responding to an article by China’s ambassador to the UK, Prof Paul H Cleverley advocates shared openness standards, while Dr Claire Jenkins says British AI can offer a distinctive path