Natasha Holcroft-Emmess

Natasha is a DPhil candidate in the Faculty of Law and a Stipendiary Lecturer in Law at St Edmund Hall and Jesus College. Her DPhil research concerns human rights in conflicts and crises, with a focus on derogation clauses in international human rights treaties. This research is supervised by Associate Professor Miles Jackson.

Natasha was previously the Research Director (part-time) at the Oxford Human Rights Hub, and a college lecturer and tutor in constitutional law at Keble College. She taught international human rights law for Wadham College’s visiting student programme, and part of the law foundation course at Lady Margaret Hall.

Natasha holds a First Class law degree, the Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) with Distinction, and an MPhil in Law from the University of Oxford. She is a qualified (non-practising) barrister and solicitor, having undertaken pupillage at Matrix Chambers and a training contract at Slaughter and May. She was admitted to the roll of solicitors in 2016 and called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2018.

From 2020-2022, Natasha was the Research Assistant to Oxford's Public International Law Research Group. In this capacity, she convened the Public International Law Discussion Group. She has provided research assistance to Professors Dapo Akande and Miles Jackson, and contributed to comparative legal research projects through Oxford Pro Bono Publico. She has been a Graduate Research Resident at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights.

During her MPhil, Natasha provided pro bono support to Gina Martin, who campaigned to change the criminal law around 'upskirting'. Gina was subsequently advised (pro bono) by Ryan Whelan of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Gina's campaign led to the Voyeurism (Offences) Act 2019, which makes upskirting a sexual offence in England and Wales.