David Cantor

Commissioner

Professor and founding Director of the Refugee Law Initiative at the School of Advanced Study, University of London

Professor David Cantor, PhD, is founding Director of the Refugee Law Initiative at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, and has almost 25 years of experience in the refugee and internal displacement fields.

David’s research has a strong legal and policy focus on protection and solutions, including in contexts of conflict, criminal violence, disasters and climate change. He has a long-standing interest in Latin America, where he has carried out fieldwork since 1998. Since 2010, he has published five books, five special issues and some 50 journal articles and book chapters. His research won the Times Higher Education UK Research of the Year award.

David has a strong track record in using research to shape refugee and IDP law, policy and practice. He has drafted influential international legal and policy documents; and advised and trained over fifteen governments. He regularly acts as a consultant for civil society and inter-governmental organisations, including through a secondment to UNHCR as Principal Advisor to its Americas Bureau. He is editor-in-chief of the Refugee Survey Quarterly journal and the Brill International Refugee Law book series, which he founded.