Professor Nick Grief has been recognised as a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).

The award of a Senior Fellowship reflects his considerable leadership experience and sustained effectiveness in teaching and support for learning, both as Dean for Kent’s Medway campus, where the University has over 3000 students, and as a senior academic at Kent Law School teaching International Law and EU Law.

The Higher Education Academy (HEA) is an independent organisation, with a global network of 100,000 HEA Fellows. The HEA champions teaching excellence in higher education to improve student outcomes. HEA Senior Fellows must demonstrate a thorough understanding of effective approaches to teaching and learning support as a key contribution to high quality student learning. They must also demonstrate impact and influence through their leadership, management and mentoring.

Professor Grief is an expert on the legal status of nuclear weapons. His other research interests include air and space law and human rights, especially the right to protest, conscientious objection to the payment of taxes for military purposes and the use of international law by protesters in UK courts. Last November, in collaboration with Dr Shona Illingworth of the School of Music and Fine Art, he was awarded £1,500 from the University’s Public Engagement with Research Fund for a project entitled ‘The Airspace Tribunal’, which is advocating recognition of a new human right to protect the freedom to exist without physical or psychological threat from above​.

Professor Grief also practises at the Bar from Doughty Street Chambers, London. He was recently part of a team which represented the Marshall Islands in cases before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.