Benedict Abrahamson Tendayi Chigara is Professor of Law and Director of the School of Law, University of Bolton. For sixteen and a half years 2003 – 2019 he held the position of Full- Professor of Law at Brunel Law School, Brunel University London, UK.

Previous to that Benedict had held Law lectureships at The University of Warwick where he lectured under the guidance of Professor John McEldowney, in Constitutional & Administrative Law, Public International Law, and in International Economic Law; The University of Leeds, where he lectured under the guidance of Professor John Bell, in Jurisprudence, Contract Law, and in International Economic Law; Oxford Brookes University, where he lectured under the guidance of Professor Diana Woodhouse, in Constitutional and Administrative Law, Contract Law, and in Public International Law.

He held various tutorial positions at The University of Nottingham during and after his Ph.D. study under Professor Catherine Redgwell and Professor Ralph Sandland, leading seminars in the Law of Tort at LLB level, and with guidance of Professor Caroline Hunter, lecturing in Construction Law, Judicial and Alternative Dispute Settlement mechanisms to final year students from the Departments of Architecture and Engineering (1997 - 1999).

In 2003 Benedict vacated his position at Warwick University to join Brunel University London as Full-Professor of Law. In 2004 he established the HEFCE funded Centre for International and Public Law (CIPL) which was inaugurated by Lord Bill Brett on 11 May 2004. Ben is the founding Director of Brunel University’s flagship Master of Laws programmes in International Law. He occupied significant managerial roles in the School of Social Sciences and Law (2004 - 05) and in Brunel Law School (2006 - 2013); and participated fully in various University Committees and Councils.

The author of several peer reviewed research monographs, journal articles and chapters in edited collections, his research has been instrumental to the work of human rights institutions; national, regional and international courts; and to national and regional organisations. He has facilitated the work of the United Nations OHCHR as an expert on Unilateral Coercive Measures and Human Rights; and also, on the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action against Racism, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. Benedict regularly provides legal opinions on International Law issues and on inter-jurisdictional issues.

He is a peer reviewer for several Research Funding Bodies, including the British Academy (BA); the European Science Foundation (ESF); European Commission (EC); Qatar National Research Funding Council; National Research Foundation of South Africa; the Research Promotion Foundation of Cyprus; etc. He regularly assists publishing houses with evaluation of book proposals and book development projects. He is a peer reviewer with many leading international law periodicals.

Benedict has numerous international affiliations, including with the International Labour Organisation (ILO); the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR); the Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions; Commonwealth of Dominica Network of International Scholars; St Kitts and Nevis Network of International Scholars; the International Law Association (British Branch); Public Administration International (London); Oxford Research Group (ORG); Institute for Leadership and Management (London); Reach Society (London); Good-of-All (USA); and with The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (London).

He coached and mentored Sagee Sasikumar, and Sethu Nandakumar for the International Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Competition. The pair who were his students, both studying for the Master’s degree in International Economic Law at the University of Warwick Law School in 2002 won in Spain the European round of the world-wide competition and went on to represent Europe in Texas, USA at the final stage of the competition which was adjudicated by judges of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
This was the first time in its eleven-year history that the European round of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition had been won by students studying at a British University. To achieve that, Sagee and Sethu first had to win the UK round of the Competition held in London.
Candidates had to assume the role of lawyers using current law to present legal arguments on behalf of international clients in fictitious cases set in the near future. The main fictitious case concerned a dispute which arises over issues of surveillance from space and which escalates into conflict and damage to satellite equipment and space stations. The competition or “Moot” was named in memory of Manfred Lachs, the renowned Polish educator, diplomat, and jurist, space law expert and longest- serving member of the International Court of Justice.

Benedict is intensively involved in international fora and has given legal opinions, reports and presentations on contemporary legal issues at various places, including: The United Nations - Geneva; State House, Commonwealth of Dominica; The Second World Conference on International Arbitration - Qatar International Centre for Conciliation and Arbitration; Human Rights & Justice Movement (IHAK) - Istanbul, Turkey; National Human Rights Council of Morocco; The London School of Economics; Birmingham University; Hull University; Brunel University; The University of Peshawar, Pakistan; Abo Akademi Institute of Human Rights - Turku, Finland; Hawasa University, Ethiopia; Potchefstroom University, South Africa; Faculty of Law - Giessen University, Germany; etc. etc. He has held visiting Professorships at Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, University of Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town - South Africa; and Justus-Liebig-Universitat Giessen, Germany.

Academic Qualifications include:
Ph.D. in Law - The University of Nottingham, UK.

LL.M. with Distinction & Best Performance Award - The University of
Hull, UK

B.A. Hons. Law & Psychology - The University of Keele, UK.

Advanced Certificate in Arbitration - Chartered Institute of Arbitrators,
London, UK

Certificate in Coaching & Mentoring, Institute of Leadership &
Management, London, UK