Robin Geiss

Dr. Robin Geiss is the Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). He was appointed by Secretary-General António Guterres and assumed the post in April 2021. As Director, Dr. Geiss charts UNIDIR’s strategic direction, mobilizes resources and manages the Institute’s staff.

He brings to the position over 20 years of experience in peace, security and international affairs. Previously, he served as tenured Professor and Director of the Glasgow Centre for International Law and Security at the University of Glasgow. He was also the Swiss Chair of International Humanitarian Law at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and Visiting Professor at the Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences Po, Paris. He served as Legal Adviser and delegate to the UN Human Rights Council for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). He is an ex officio member of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters and remains (affiliate) Professor at the University of Glasgow.

He has published widely on international and humanitarian matters and is a former editor of the Yearbook of International Humanitarian Law. He has served on the advisory boards of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, the Foundation for Peace Research and on the Red Cross’ National Committee on International Humanitarian Law.

Dr. Geiss holds a PhD in international law from the University of Kiel, studied at the University of Edinburgh, and obtained a master’s degree in international legal studies from New York University (NYU).