As professor by special appointment at Amsterdam Law School, and working at the Asser Institute in The Hague, Marauhn will focus on innovative research in arms control law. This is a highly specialised and relevant area of law, which is not a structural subject of research or education at any other Dutch university or research institute. With the new Chair, academic knowledge of this field, vital for national and international security, will be preserved in the Netherlands.

In his research, Marauhn, a widely recognised expert in International Law, will address international arms control law in the area of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. He will conduct research on chemical biological radiological and nuclear (CBRN) security. Marauhn will further monitor compliance with existing arms control treaties and the practical implementation of arms control law obligations in the national legal sphere. Most important, he will critically review the appropriateness of existing approaches and investigate prospects to enhance and further develop the law of arms control, among others, in respect of new and emerging technologies.

National research network and knowledge hub

'Having researched, commented upon and contributed to the development of international arms control law throughout my academic career, I am most happy and honoured to take on this new position', says Thilo Marauhn. 'I am convinced that, building upon my work at Justus Liebig University Giessen and at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, our joint work in The Hague will not only strengthen this important part of international law but also help to make it fit for the future.'

From The Hague-based Asser Institute, Marauhn will set up and coordinate a national research network and a knowledge hub. Asser Chairperson Janne Nijman: 'The subject of arms control is traditionally linked to the city of The Hague. It was here that the Hague Conferences of 1899 and 1907 took place, which included arms control as one of their topics. Today, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), our partner in our annual course on non-proliferation and arms control, is located at a stone's throw from our Institute.'

About the Chair

In his research, Marauhn will focus on knowledge preservation, knowledge development and knowledge transfer in the field of international arms control law in the area of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN) security in general, and nuclear security in particular.

It also includes the monitoring of compliance with arms control treaties and the concrete implementation of agreed arms control law obligations in the national legal sphere. In addition to his research, Mahrauhn will contribute to the development of the field by supervising PhD students. He will also play a key role in the annual Disarmament and Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction in a Changing World training, co-organised with Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Marauhn will further develop an in-depth course on Arms Control Law for both Master- and PhD students and interested professionals, covering military-technical and legal topics and angles.  

Marauhn will work, in close cooperation with colleagues from the T.M.C. Asser Institute, with the UvA research group Law of Armed Conflict and Military Operations (LACMO), led by Prof. Martin Zwanenburg. LACMO is an independent programme within the Amsterdam Center for International Law (ACIL) of the UvA.