Professor Melissa Castan is Director of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law. She has over 25 years experience teaching, researching and publishing in Australian Public Law, Constitutional law, Human Rights Law, Indigenous Legal Issues and Legal Education.

Melissa's current ARC Project is Real-time rights-based recordkeeping governance with Associate Professor Joanne Evans (FIT), Adjunct Professor Moira Paterson and Professor Elisabeth Shepherd. This explores how records co-creation can be conceptualised in child protection and information law and overseen dynamically through a new digitally enabled, child-centred and rights-based advocacy and regulatory framework (2020-2023).

Melissa's most recent book is 'Time to Listen: an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, co-authored with Distinguished Professor Lynette Russell AM. She  edited Critical Perspectives in Human Rights Law in Australia with Professer Paula Gerber; co-authored The Global Lawyer (2021-22) Associate Professor Kate Galloway, and Professor John Flood; and co-wrote the law text Federal Constitutional Law: A Contemporary View (6th ed, 2024) with Professor Sarah Joseph.  She is also co-author, with Professor Sarah Joseph, of The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Cases, Commentary and Materials (OUP, 2013), The impact of this book is wide-ranging, with citations in the High Court of Australia and other Australian judgments, in the European Court of Human Rights and further citations by the UK House of Lords, the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal, the New Zealand Courts, the Supreme Court of Pitcairn Island, numerous international law bodies, and in law reform commission reports. 

Melissa has held a number of leadership roles in the Faculty of Law, as Associate Dean (Staffing) 2020-2023, Associate Dean (Education) 2019, Member of Academic Board (2020-2023) and a Deputy Director of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law for many years.

Melissa is an experienced PhD, HDR and Honours supervisor, and is available for graduate supervisions in her areas of expertise. 

Melissa is National Convenor of the Alternative Law Journal, a Board Member of the Victorian Law Foundation since 2015, and hosted legal interest podcasts 'Law Radio' and 'Just Cases'. Her newest podcast is 'Case in Point'.

Indigenous Peoples and the Law

Australian Public Law

Constitutional Law

Human Rights

International Human Rights Law

Legal Identity

Legal History

Legal Education

International Human Rights Law

Public Law and Statutory Interpretation

Foundations of Law

Constitutional Law

Indigenous Rights and International Law