Exeter College law lecturer wins prestigious Oxford doctoral dissertation prize
Dr Natasha Holcroft-Emmess, Stipendiary Lecturer in Law at Exeter College, has been awarded the Oxford Nicolas Berggruen Prize for Best Doctoral Dissertation in Philosophy, Law & Politics 2026 in recognition of her outstanding DPhil research on international human rights law.
The prestigious annual prize, funded by Nicolas Berggruen of the Berggruen Institute in Los Angeles, recognises a doctoral dissertation that is both excellent and transformative in theory or practice. One dissertation is nominated each year by each of the University of Oxford’s participating faculties – Philosophy, Law, and the Department of Politics and International Relations – before an interdisciplinary committee selects the overall winner.
Dr Holcroft-Emmess received the award for her dissertation, Human Rights in Conflicts and Crises: Derogation under Human Rights Treaties. Her research examines the circumstances in which States may lawfully suspend certain obligations under international human rights treaties during times of war or public emergency. The thesis argues that carefully interpreting derogation clauses can strengthen transparency and accountability when governments adopt exceptional measures that restrict fundamental rights, helping to safeguard human rights even during periods of conflict and crisis.
The dissertation was described by its examiners as “an outstanding contribution to legal scholarship” in the field of human rights derogations, and Dr Holcroft-Emmess has been encouraged to develop the research into a book.
Commenting on the award, Dr Holcroft-Emmess said: “I am delighted and so very grateful that my thesis has been awarded the Oxford Nicolas Berggruen Prize. I would like to thank everyone who has supported my research in Oxford and beyond. I am especially grateful to colleagues at Exeter College, who have provided such a supportive environment as I seek to develop my research beyond the thesis.”
Dr Holcroft-Emmess specialises in international human rights law, with a particular focus on the legal regulation of rights during conflicts, emergencies and crises. She studied for the BA in Jurisprudence, the Bachelor of Civil Law, the MPhil in Law and the DPhil in Law at the University of Oxford, completing her doctorate in 2025, before joining Exeter College as Stipendiary Lecturer in Law.