Aude-Solveig Epstein
Lecturer in Private Law
Aude-Solveig Epstein chairs the TEDE consortium on the Ecological Transition of Economic Law. She is an associate professor of private law and Provost at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi. Her research focuses on the intersections between economic law, environmental law, and animal law. Through her work, she has explored the foundations, methods, and consequences of the growing involvement of private actors in the creation and enforcement of environmental standards, addressing topics such as corporate social and environmental responsibility, ESG investing, private environmental litigation, and the public’s rights to information and participation in environmental matters. Her book Environmental Information and Business: A Contribution to the Legal Analysis of Regulation (L.G.D.J., 2015) critically analyzes the emergence of environmental governance based primarily on the production and dissemination of environmental data. It won theLouis Joinet Prize in the category “Private Law: Fundamental Concepts and Comparative Law.” In her most recent research, Aude-Solveig Epstein examines the capacity of law to guide the development of technologies and data to bring about a more sustainable economy (e.g.,“EU Environmental Law in the Digital Age: A Critical Outlook on the Twin Transition’s Legal Structure,” European Journal of Risk Regulation, 2025; “Environmental Law and Technology: A Research Roadmap,” in J. van Zeben & C. Hilson (eds.),Research Agenda for Environmental Law, E. Elgar, 2025). Aude-Solveig Epstein has initiated and co-led the research team on the ecological transition of economic law (TEDE) since its launch in 2021. In this context, she co-edited the following books: Environmental Economic Law: Actors and Methods (Mare & Martin, 2023, co-edited with Marie-Alice Chardeaux) andEconomic Law: A Lever for Ecological Transition? (Bruylant, 2022, co-edited with Marie Nioche). She also coordinated the special issue of the International Review of Economic Law devoted to“Sustainable Corporate Governance ” (2021). She was the lead author and coordinator of the report on The Ecological Transformation of Economic Law (2025). Her work has also introduced innovative perspectives on the interactions between animal law and economic law. In particular, she co-edited (with Alice Di Concetto) the book Animals in EU Economic Law (2026).
Irina Parachkévova-Racine
Professor of Private Law
Irina Parachkévova-Racine is a member of the TEDE Executive Committee. She is a professor of private law at the Université Côte d’Azur. After completing a dissertation on the power of professional investors in publicly traded companies (LGDJ 2005, Law and Economics series) and passing the competitive examination for the agrégation in private law and criminal sciences, she devoted part of her research to how business law—and corporate law in particular—addresses environmental and climate issues. She is interested in how these fields, traditionally focused on private interests, are transforming (or must transform) to address issues of public interest, such as environmental protection and human rights. Her work builds on the legacy of the Nice School of Economic Law and draws on substantial, cross-disciplinary analysis. It echoes the growing emergence of environmental economic law. Irina Parachkévova-Racine supervises dissertations on topics related to these subjects and has written numerous articles that take a forward-looking view of contemporary normative transformations in this field, such as “The Role of Ecological Transformation within the Normative Framework of Corporate Law ” (Revue Lamy Droit des affaires, Feb. 2023, Suppl. No. 189, p. 32), “Climate Resolutions or the First Steps Toward a Shareholder Dialogue Designed for Sustainable Business” (Bulletin Joly Sociétés Sept. 2023, No. 202g2), and a thematic dossier he edited and coordinated on the topic “The Directive on the Duty of Care Regarding Sustainability: Prospects for a New European Business Model” (Actes pratiques et Ingénierie sociétaire, LexisNexis, No. 1, January–February 2025, pp. 4–49). His book Business Law in 12 Themes, published in the Séquences collection by Dalloz (2022, co-authored with Éva Mouial-Bassilan and Marina Teller), revisits classic themes in business law in light of the major shifts shaping the field—particularly the rise of environmental concerns. Irina Parcahkévova-Racine has been an active member of the TEDE research team on the ecological transition of economic law since its launch in 2021 and, in this capacity, co-organized a symposium on the Ecological Transition and the Teaching of Economic Law (Revue Internationale de Droit Économique, 2023/2). She is vice-president and a member of the board of directors of the International Association of Economic Law (A.I.D.E.) and leads the Nice School of Economic Law (EDEN) team within the Research Group on Law, Economics, and Management (GREDEG) at the Université Côte d’Azur.
Geneviève Dufour
Professor of Public International Law
Geneviève Dufour is a member of TEDE’s Executive Committee. She is a full professor in the Civil Law Section of the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa and a member of the Quebec Bar. She holds the Research Chair in Sustainable, Responsible, and Inclusive Trade Law. Together with the Chair’s team, she seeks to determine whether and how international trade law can contribute to greater respect for human rights, environmental protection, and the promotion of inclusion. She leads several funded research projects focused on three main areas: 1) Multilateral negotiations at the World Trade Organization regarding more sustainable, responsible, and inclusive trade; 2) Trade and investment treaties as tools for promoting non-commercial values; and 3) The use of trade as a means to achieve national environmental protection and human rights objectives. Since the start of her career, she has delivered over 150 lectures and training sessions worldwide, produced more than 100 publications, organized some 40 academic events, regularly testified before parliamentary committees, and advised governments, businesses, NGOs, and international organizations. In 2023, she co-edited a book on the Reform of the World Trade Organization, which has been downloaded over 10,000 times (published by SQDI). She has also served as editor of the international trade column for the Canadian Yearbook of International Law since 2021. She is the recipient of the Tremplin Award for her exceptional contribution to research, as well as the University of Sherbrooke’s Educational Innovation Team Award. She co-founded the International Legal Assistance Office (BAJI) and the Master’s program in Applied International Law and International Politics (DIPIA) at the University of Sherbrooke. A former Vice Dean of Research, she has also served as president of three scholarly societies—the Quebec Society of International Law, the Francophone Network of International Law, and the Network of Francophone Legal Clinics. She is also a member ofthe WTO Gender Research Hub, the Trilateral Commission, and the Green Rights Coalition. She regularly appears in the media to explain complex issues related to international trade in layman’s terms.