Research Interests
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, language and history Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Law Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the law Conflict of laws (incl. private international law) Human Rights Law International Law Latin and South American history Law and Society Public international lawDr Ayla do Vale Alves
Lecturer, Law
School of Law
College of Business and Law
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.
Ayla Alves is a Lecturer in Law at Adelaide University. Ayla holds a PhD from the University of New South Wales (UNSW-Sydney, 2023), an LLM in International Human Rights Law from the University of Liverpool (UK, 2018), and a Bachelor of Laws from the State University of Feira de Santana (Brazil, 2017). Her research interests include international law, human rights, cultural heritage, Indigenous Peoples' rights, Latin American legal developments, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, and the rights of the family.
Ayla is also a former Study Visitor (Judicial Clerk) at the European Court of Human Rights (Strasbourg), and former co-editor of the ASIL Rights of Indigenous Peoples Interest Group Newsletter. Currently, she is a coordinator of the Latin America the Caribbean Chapter of the Association of Critical Heritage Studies, and a board member of the Human Rights Law Interest Group of the Australia and New Zealand Society of International Law.
Ayla do Vale Alves and Lucas Lixinski, Enforcing International Judgments Domestically: The Case of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (Brill 2025);
Ayla do Vale Alves, ‘Appropriation of Indigenous Heritage and Legal Remedies: Restitution of Control’ International Journal of Cultural Property (Special Issue) (Forthcoming, 2026)
Ayla do Vale Alves, ‘Cultural Heritage Rights and Indigenous Peoples’ in Claire Charters et al. (eds), Oxford Handbook of Indigenous Peoples and International Law (OUP, 2025);
Ayla do Vale Alves, ‘Article 31’ in Jessika Eichler, Cathal Doyle and Seánna Howard (eds), A Commentary on UNDRIPS (Article-by-Article): International and Regional Human Rights Jurisprudence (Nomos, forthcoming 2026);
Ayla do Vale Alves, Review of ‘Freedom of Religion or Belief in the European Convention on Human Rights: A Reappraisal’ by Caroline K. Roberts (2024) 5(4) European Convention on Human Rights Law Review 518;
Ayla do Vale Alves, ‘Children’s Religious Identity in Adoption: The Need to Recentre the Child’s Best Interest in International Human Rights Adjudication’ (2023) 23(2) Human Rights Law Review 1;
Ayla do Vale Alves, Review of 'Les 3 Cours Régionales des Droits de L’Homme In Context: La Justice Qui n’Allait Pas de Soi' by Laurence Burgorgue-Larsen (2020) 26 Australian Journal of Human Rights 568;
Ayla do Vale Alves, 'Is It Possible/Desirable to Establish a Vertical Model of International Dispute Settlement Mechanism with the International Court of Justice Being the 'Last Resort Court'? in Felipe Dutra Asensi et al. (eds), Interfaces entre Instituições e Estado (Grupo Multifoco, 2019, Brazil);
Ayla do Vale Alves, Márcia Costa Misi, 2016, 'Da liberdade de expressão ao discurso de ódio: uma análise da adequação do entendimento jurisprudencial brasileiro à jurisprudência da Corte Interamericana de Direitos Humanos', Revista da Faculdade de Direito da UFRGS, vol. 1.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 - 2023 | Teaching Fellow | UNSW Sydney |
| 2021 - 2023 | Research Assistant | University of Technology Sydney |
| 2020 - 2021 | Judicial Clerk (Study Visitor) | European Court of Human Rights |
| 2019 - 2023 | Research Assistant | UNSW Sydney |
| Language | Competency |
|---|---|
| English | Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review |
| French | Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review |
| Portuguese | Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review |
| Spanish - Latin American | Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 - 2023 | UNSW Sydney | Australia | PhD |
| 2017 - 2018 | University of Liverpool | United Kingdom | LLM |
| 2011 - 2017 | State University of Feira de Santana | Brazil | Bachelor of Laws |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2024 | do Vale Alves, A. (2024). Freedom of Religion or Belief in the European Convention on Human Rights: a Reappraisal. The European Convention on Human Rights Law Review, 5(4), 518-522. |
| 2023 | Alves, A. D. V. (2023). Children's religious identity in alternative care and adoption: the need to recentre the child's best interest in international human rights adjudication. Human Rights Law Review, 23(2, article no. ngad002), 1-22. Scopus3 |
| 2021 | do Vale Alves, A. (2021). Les 3 Cours Régionales des Droits de L'Homme In Context: la Justice Qui n'Allait Pas de Soi. Australian Journal of Human Rights, 26(3), 568-576. |
| - | Alves, A. D. V., & Misi, M. C. (2016). Da liberdade de expressão ao discurso de ódio: uma análise da adequação do entendimento jurisprudencial brasileiro à jurisprudência da Corte Interamericana de Direitos Humanos. Revista da Faculdade de Direito, 1(35). |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2024 | do Vale Alves, A. (2024). WIPO’s New Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Traditional Knowledge – A Turning Point for Indigenous Heritage?. ESIL Reflections. |
Courses I teach
- LAWS 1025 Intercultural Communication, Interviewing and Negotiation (2025)
- LAWS 3076 Human Rights Law (2025)
- LAWS 3086 Law, Land and Peoples (2025)
- LAWS 1025 Intercultural Communication, Interviewing and Negotiation (2024)
- LAWS 1032 Torts (2024)
| Date | Role | Board name | Institution name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - ongoing | Board Member | Chapter on Latin America and the Caribbean | Association of Critical Heritage Studies | United Kingdom |
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - ongoing | Member | Latin American Society of International Law | - |
| 2025 - ongoing | Member | African Society of International Law | - |
| 2022 - ongoing | Member | European Society of International Law | - |
| 2022 - ongoing | Member | Law and Society Association | - |
| 2020 - ongoing | Co-Chair | Association of Critical Heritage Studies | - |
| Date | Title | Engagement Type | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - ongoing | Leader of the Community of Practice on Aboriginal Ways of Knowing in Law | Scientific Community Engagement | Adelaide University | Australia |
| Date | Event Name | Event Type | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - ongoing | Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Network Symposium | Symposium | Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Network | Australia |
| 2025 - ongoing | Congresso de Direito de Autor e Interesse Público | Congress | Centro Universitário Curitiba | Brazil |
| 2025 - ongoing | Climate reparations: Harnessing indigenous knowledge, Faith and Philosophy for Justice | Conference | Kabarak University | Kenya |
| 2025 - ongoing | African Society of International Law Annual Conference | Conference | African Society of International Law | Mozambique |
| 2025 - 2025 | European Society of International Law 2025 Annual Conference | Conference | European Society of International Law | Germany |
| 2025 - ongoing | Advancing Social, Economic, and Cultural Rights in a Polarised, Digitalised, and Unequal World | Conference | Netherlands Network for Human Rights Research | Netherlands |
| 2025 - ongoing | Reckoning and Reimagining: Workshopping Indigenous Justice Pedagogies for Australian Legal Education | Workshop | University of Melbourne | Australia |
| 2025 - 2025 | Latin American Society of International Law Biennial Conference | Conference | Latin American Society of International Law Biennial Conference | Uruguay |
| 2025 - 2025 | New Frontiers of Research for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage | Conference | International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region | Japan |
| 2024 - ongoing | Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law (ANZSIL) Annual Conference | Conference | Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law | Australia |
| 2024 - 2024 | Association of Critical Heritage Studies 7th Biennial Conference, ACHS 2024: Custodianship/Coimirce | Conference | Association of Critical Heritage Studies | Ireland |
| 2023 - 2023 | Law and Society Association of Australia and New Zealand Conference | Conference | Law and Society Association of Australia and New Zealand | Australia |
| 2023 - 2023 | European Society of International Law Annual Conference | Conference | European Society of International Law | France |
| 2023 - ongoing | ICON-S Annual Conference | Conference | International Society of Public Law (ICON•S) | New Zealand |
| 2023 - ongoing | Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law (ANZSIL) Annual Conference | Conference | Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law | New Zealand |
| 2023 - 2023 | Law & Society Association Annual Meeting | Conference | Law and Society Association | Puerto Rico |
| 2022 - 2022 | Association of Critical Heritage Studies 6th Biennial Conference, ACHS 2022: Interculturalities | Conference | Association of Critical Heritage Studies | Chile |
| 2022 - ongoing | I Doctoral Colloquium of the 4universities Consortium on Cultural Heritage Law | Colloquium | University of Technology Sydney | Australia |
| 2022 - 2022 | Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Network Conference | Conference | Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Network | Australia |
| 2022 - 2022 | World Intellectual Property Organization Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore 44th session | Plenary or general session | World Intellectual Property Organization | Switzerland |
| 2022 - ongoing | European Society of International Law Annual Conference | Conference | European Society of International Law | Netherlands |
| 2022 - ongoing | Third Party Interventions Before the European Court of Human Rights: Challenges and Best Practices | Workshop | University of Liverpool | United Kingdom |
| 2020 - 2020 | Association of Critical Heritage Studies 5th Biennial Conference | Conference | Association of Critical Heritage Studies | - |
| Date | Case | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 - ongoing | Case of the Indigenous Maya Q’Eqchi’ Agua Caliente Community V Guatemala | Inter-American Court of Human Rights | Costa Rica |
Available For Media Comment.