The American Branch is proud to announce this year’s Emerging Voices. This year saw a record number of applicants, making the selection process incredibly difficult. Thank you to the 2025 Emerging Voices Selection Committee: Christine Carpenter, Lisa Reinsberg, and Alveena Shah. The selection committee will work with the successful applicants in the lead up to International Law Weekend to polish and perfect their research papers.

The Silicon Valley Community Foundation generously funds the Emerging Voices program. Their sponsorship ensures young voices have the means to travel to New York City and present their innovative works.

Kazım Berkay Arslan is an Associate with Kabine Law Office in Istanbul, Türkiye, where he focuses on commercial and investment arbitration. He holds an LLM from Harvard Law School, where he was a Fulbright Scholar, and an LLB from Galatasaray University, Türkiye. His research paper is titled ‘Foregrounding Local Community Perspectives in Investment Arbitration.’

Annika Knauer is a Research Fellow and PhD Candidate at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law Heidelberg, Germany. Starting August 2025, she will be a Visiting Fellow at Columbia Law School. She holds a law degree from Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, where she specialized in public international law and European law. Knauer’s research paper is titled ‘Disinformation: Gendered and Violent.’

Emmanuel O. Osayande is a dual JD Candidate at Columbia Law School and a PhD Candidate in History and African Studies at Harvard University. He holds an MA in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Mellon Scholar, and a BA in History and Strategic Studies from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. His research paper is titled ‘Justice Transferred: Strategic Litigation on Climate Change at Africa’s International Courts.’

Naida Softić is a PhD candidate in Political Science and Teaching Instructor at Loyola University, Chicago. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She also works with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on legislative and policy guidance concerning cross-border responses to migrant smuggling and trafficking in persons in several West African countries. Her research paper is titled ‘Mandate at the Margins: Crisis, Refusal, and Legal Accountability in Migration Governance.’

The 2025 Emerging Voices will present their work at the New York City Bar Association on Thursday, October 23rd, 2025, at 4:00 PM, immediately preceding the International Law Weekend Opening Plenary with Elinor Hammarskjöld. Purchase tickets to International Law Weekend here.