Associate Professor Melissa Castan is Director of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, and Associate Dean (Staffing) in the Law Faculty. She has also been Associate Dean (Education) and Director Equity, in the Faculty. 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 most recent ARC Project is Real-time rights-based recordkeeping governance with Professor Moira Paterson, Associate Professor Joanne Evans and Professor Elisabeth Shepherd. It 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).

Her most recent books are Critcal Perspectives in Human Rights Law in Australia co-editied with Professer Paula Gerber; The Global Lawyer (2019) Associate Professor Kate Galloway, and Professor John Flood; and Federal Constitutional Law: A Contemporary View (2019) 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 is an experienced HDR and Honours supervisor, and is available for PhD supervisions in her areas of expertise. 

Melissa is National Convenor of the Alternative Law Journal, and hosts podcasts 'Law Radio' and 'Just Cases'. She tweets as @drmcastan.

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