Gudmundur Alfredsson

Gudmundur Alfredsson has a diverse work experience starting in 1995 as the Director and Professor at The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian law. Gudmundur then went on to work as a Member of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights at the United Nations from 2004 to 2006. Gudmundur held multiple teaching positions at various universities, including the University of Strasbourg, American University Washington College of Law, Riga Graduate School of Law, and Ilisimatusarfik. Gudmundur also worked as a Professor at the University of Akureyri from 2004 to 2019 and as a Professor at the China University of Political Science and Law from 2010 to 2022. Additionally, Alfredsson worked as an Editor-in-Chief for the Yearbook of Polar Law and the International Journal of Minority and Group Rights.

Gudmundur Alfredsson began their education journey at Háskóli Íslands, where they earned their law degree, Cand. jur., from 1969 to 1975. Gudmundur later attended New York University School of Law from 1975 to 1976, where they obtained a Master of Comparative Jurisprudence (MCJ), focusing on American law and international law. From 1976 to 1982, Gudmundur pursued further studies at Harvard Law School, completing their Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) degree with a specialization in public international law. Gudmundur'sdissertation topic was "Greenland and the Right to External Self-Determination." During their time at Harvard, they also spent two years at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law as a Humboldt Research Fellow, delving deeper into the study of public international law.