Sarah Hayes has returned to the China-EU School of Law (CESL) as a Teaching Assistant specialising in the fields of Public International Law, Human Rights and development issues. She joins the faculty of the Master of European and International Law.

With a master's degree in “Public International Law”, Sarah is currently finalising her PhD at the University of Strasbourg, France. Her research aims at determining a clear legal framework regulating large-scale arable land acquisitions and leases in International Law, against the background that arable land has become a scarcer resource in our era amidst state and private investors’ intensified race for land investment.

Alongside her PhD, this 29-year-old has a rich professional background: she has worked in academia, law firms, NGOs, and the United Nations. Such diversity has familiarised her with all aspects of International Law.

Before joining CESL to teach Public International Law and European Union Law in 2016, she conducted research at VU Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and taught in France at the University of Orleans.

Sarah finds teaching in China really interesting. “I especially enjoyed the debates in class. The Chinese students have a different legal background than mine, so the discussions in class were very stimulating for me as their approach to legal issues was different. It pushed me to challenge my own legal views and reflect on it.”

Speaking of China, this young legal professional is enthusiastic. “My favourite place in Beijing is the hutong area between the Drum Tower and the Lama temple. It is beautifully well preserved, and it offers a nice, quiet place in busy downtown!” She appreciates Chinese cuisine so much that she even took a cooking lesson last year: “I am now a master of Kungpao chicken!”