Brian Frenkel

Profile

Biography

Brian Frenkel

Postgraduate Researcher

Brian Frenkel is a researcher and practitioner whose work sits at the intersection of law, diplomacy, and humanitarian action. He is a lawyer from the University of Buenos Aires and holds an LL.M. from the Geneva Academy on International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. He joined York Law School as a Postgraduate Researcher in September 2025. Brian's PhD explores how and why international human rights bodies interact with other branches of international law -besides human rights- and their impact in the system. 

Before returning to academia, Brian spent more than a decade in Geneva working on diplomacy focusing on human rights and humanitarian affairs. He participated in high-level negotiations, helped draft resolutions and international instruments, and worked closely with UN agencies, treaty bodies, and expert mechanisms. These experiences continue to shape his research questions, grounding them in the realities of diplomatic practice and institutional behaviour.

Brian has taught across a wide range of programmes in Buenos Aires, Geneva, and now in York, and he remains committed to building bridges between legal scholarship, policy, and practice—particularly in areas relating to IHL, human rights protection, and forced displacement.