Biography

Sapna Reheem Shaila's research interests lie at the intersections of law, sociology and development studies. She completed her PhD in Law from King's College London (2022); LLM in Law, Development and Governance from SOAS (2015) and BA/ LLB Hons. from NALSAR University of Law (2013). She is a qualified lawyer (non-practising) and has worked with various rule of law and human rights organisations in India and the United Kingdom.

Sapna's current research explores how transnational norms are constructed, transferred and used to bring change in specific contexts. Underlying all these aspects, she is interested in examining the role of individual actors, groups and organisations and their influence in bringing transformative changes locally. Sapna's doctoral research examined a part of the puzzle by investigating the transnational rule of law promotion in East Timor.

At the EUI, Sapna will be building on her doctoral thesis and working on her monograph and other publications. She also plans to expand her research to study the different 'localising' strategies undertaken by the UN and other global governance institutions to bridge the 'gap' between different 'levels' of governance.

Sapna taught at UCL, King's College London, and SOAS. Some of the courses she led include Tort Law, International Human Rights Law, Sociology of Law, War to Peace Transitions. Sapna also has expertise in Comparative legal cultures and globalisation, Qualitative Methods in Law, and Legal Theory.