Emma Breeze

Dr Breeze is an Assistant Professor in International Criminal Law at the University of Birmingham. Prior to this lectureship she was a lecturer in law at Coventry University. She specialises in International Criminal and Humanitarian Law, with particular interest in technological development and intelligence studies. She completed her PhD at the University of Birmingham under the supervision of Professor Robert Cryer and Dr Alexander Orakhelashvili in June 2020. She has previously held an ESRC Impact Acceleration Post-Doctoral Fellowship to develop impact from her PhD. This resulted in a policy briefing concerning the three-fold increase in the use of drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) by law enforcement in England and Wales. She has worked with several interdisciplinary research groups, including the Institute for Global Innovation and the Centre for Crime Justice and Policing, and engaged with both academics and practitioners. Her work has featured in the Journal of Conflict and Security Law.

Research into contemporary issues in international humanitarian law, particularly focussing on information and intelligence during conflict. Recent research developed an intelligence standard in targeting given the development of modern surveillance technologies. The role and scope of the precautionary principle of international humanitarian law continues to be at the heart of my current research, looking at both defenders’ obligations and the challenges presented by misinformation, deception and infiltration by hostile parties within technological decision-making systems during conflict.