Dr Lauren Nishimura

Overview

Dr Lauren Sakae Nishimura is a Lecturer at Melbourne Law School, and Senior Program Lead of the Law and Litigation theme at Melbourne Climate Futures. Dr Nishimura’s research focuses on international law, human rights, climate adaptation, and migration. Her first book, Climate Change, Human Rights, and Adaptive Mobility (Oxford University Press 2025) argues that states must take concrete measures to prevent forced displacement before it happens, shifting the focus from managing migration after the fact to preventing and enabling it through adaptation. Her current research builds on this, exploring international law and arguments for more anticipatory climate adaptation.

Dr Nishimura received her DPhil in Law and an MSt in International Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford, a JD from Georgetown University Law Center, and a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College. She is a past recipient of a McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellowship at Melbourne Law School. Dr Nishimura also has more than a decade of experience as a litigator, advocate, and researcher in the United States and Southeast Asia. She has worked with a variety of international organizations and UN agencies and is currently on the Advisory Committee for the Platform on Disaster Displacement.