Research Interests
- Indigenous Peoples and the Law
- Indigenous Peoples' Sovereignty and Food Security
- Environmental Law and Justice
- Fundamental Rights and the Environment
- Postcolonial theories and law
Sophie Thériault is a Full Professor and Vice-Dean (Academic) in the Faculty of Law (Civil Law Section), at the University of Ottawa. From 2015-2017, she served as the Vice-Dean of Graduate Studies in Law at the University of Ottawa. Professor Thériault’s research focuses on Indigenous peoples’ rights in the context of natural resources extraction; Indigenous environmental governance; environmental justice and environmental rights; and food security and sovereignty for Indigenous peoples. Her work examines the myriad ways in which state law dispossesses, subjugates and marginalizes Indigenous peoples, especially in relation to the extraction of natural resources from their traditional lands. It also focuses on the role of law in creating, reproducing, and potentially remediating environmental injustices for Indigenous peoples and other marginalized groups. Professor Thériault is a member of the Executive Committee of the Alumni Network of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation and of the Global Young Academy.