Klaas Willaert

Klaas Willaert graduated as Master in Law (summa cum laude) at Ghent University in 2012 and obtained an Advanced Master in Maritime Science (summa cum laude) in 2013. After finishing his studies, he worked as a research assistant at the Faculty of Law and Criminology of Ghent University and wrote a doctoral thesis on maritime piracy ('Modern Piracy in East and West Africa: legal framework, counterstrategies and prosecution’), which he successfully defended in 2018. The law of the sea is his area of expertise and he has conducted postdoctoral research into the legal aspects of deep sea mining. Following his tenure as a postdoctoral researcher, Klaas was appointed as professor Law of the Sea and Transport Law at Ghent University in 2021, teaching the relevant courses and coordinating the associated research activities. He directs the advanced master program MSc in Maritime Science and the Port Management course series, is part of the editorial boards of the Journal of International Maritime Law and the Journal for International Trade and Transport Law, and holds memberships of the International Association for the Law of the Sea, the European Society of International Law, the Belgian Association of Maritime Law and the Royal Belgian Marine Academy. In 2023, he was appointed as director of the Maritime Institute.