S.J.D Candidate Awarded Prestigious Law Studies Scholarship

College of Law Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D) candidate Elena I. Athwal has been honored with the prestigious International Bar Association (IBA) Section on Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Infrastructure Law (SEERIL) Law Studies Scholarship for 2025. This recognition not only highlights her academic achievements, it also makes her a trailblazer as the first student from the Middle East to receive this esteemed award. 

The scholarship, granted by SEERIL and its Academic Advisory Group (AAG), recognizes exceptional academic contributions to energy and natural resources law made by students from qualifying academic institutions. Athwal was selected as one of four recipients worldwide in 2025, and the award will support her pioneering research on human rights-based legal frameworks for distributed energy resources (DERs) and sustainable energy access in the Global South.

Commenting on the scholarship, Athwal said: “I am deeply honored to receive this international recognition and to represent the Middle East in such a distinguished global cohort. I am indebted to the College of Law’s Professor Damilola Olawuyi, my doctoral advisor, Dean Susan Karamanian and Professor Georgios Dimitropoulos for their unwavering guidance and mentorship. I sincerely thank the entire IBA SEERIL and Academic Advisory Group for believing in me and recognizing the relevance and urgency of my work.”

Widely recognized for her expertise in climate governance and ESG legal reform, Athwal is the Founder and CEO of ICELIS Global—a Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) licensed advisory firm focused on environmental consultancy, policy innovation, and ESG compliance. She also serves as Chair of the Energy Transition Working Group under the Al Attiyah Foundation/ICC Qatar Environment and Energy Commission, and as Research Fellow with the UNESCO Chair on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development.

Athwal’s legal scholarship includes publications with Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Palgrave Macmillan, Edward Elgar, Springer and more. Her work covers climate justice, environmental permitting, energy project development, and international trade law, with a particular focus on advancing equitable legal solutions in emerging economies.

The IBA SEERIL Law Studies Scholarship awards an amount of up to £18,000 supporting postgraduate students around the world pursuing advanced legal research in energy, environmental, and infrastructure law. Awardees are selected for their potential to contribute meaningfully to legal developments through scholarship, practice, and policy engagement.