A new exchange agreement between Kent Law School (KLS) and the University of los Andes, Colombia offers exciting new collaborative research and learning opportunities for staff and PhD students.
The University of los Andes (commonly self-styled as Uniandes), is a leading research university located in the city centre of Bogotá. It plays a central role within the academic community in Colombia and in Latin America as a whole (8th highest ranked Latin American institution in QS 2020 World Rankings).
Los Andes shares Kent Law School’s critical, interdisciplinary approach to law and commitment to excellence in research and education; it is hoped that the exchange will establish long lasting avenues for research collaboration particularly in the areas of peace building and transitional justice.
Dr Luis Eslava, Co-Director of the Law School’s Centre for Critical International Law, welcomes the new agreement: ‘It is extremely exciting to inaugurate this Erasmus+ programme. It will give Kent and Universidad de los Andes an opportunity to further consolidate their interinstitutional partnership while supporting a fantastic exchange programme that will benefit staff and doctoral students from both institutions. We are looking forward to receiving our colleagues from Los Andes at Kent Law School.’
Head of Kent Law School Professor Lydia Hayes praised the vibrant student and academic community at Los Andes: ‘We are proud that the new exchange agreement further enhances our connections. We foresee many benefits for staff and students in Columbia and in Kent because of new opportunities for student placements, the exchange of knowledge and learning, and joint working on research in the social study of law.’
Due to COVID-19, the exchange will commence online, with physical mobility taking place hopefully from Spring 2021.
The new agreement is supported by an Erasmus+ grant won by Kent and includes sufficient funding for:
- a 12-month placement for one KLS PhD student to study at Uniandes (or three-month placements for up to four KLS PhD students)
- 12-month placements for two Uniandes students to study at KLS
- a two-month placement for one KLS staff member at Uniandes
- a two-month placement for one Uniandes staff member at KLS
It builds on a previous reciprocal agreement with Los Andes secured by the Law School in 2018.
Other existing international exchange collaborations secured by Kent Law School for doctoral scholars provide opportunities at:
- the University of Melbourne in Australia (agreement signed in 2017)
- the Universidade Federal de Minas Geraisin Belo Horizonte (agreement signed in 2015)
The Law School is a dynamic and cosmopolitan centre of world-leading research; in the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014), the Law School was ranked 8th in the UK for research intensity and was ranked within the top 20 for research output, research quality and research impact. It ranks 51st for Law in the THE World University Rankings by subject 2020, among the top 150 law schools in the world in the Shanghai Ranking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2020, and is among the top 200 law schools in the world in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020.
Postgraduate research degrees at Kent Law School include: