Faculty and staff

Mark Kersten is an Assistant Professor in the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department at the University of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, and a Senior Consultant at the Wayamo Foundation in Berlin, Germany. He has a law degree from McGill University (2022) and a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics (2014).

Mark is the author of numerous academic articles and the book, Justice in Conflict. He runs a blog by the same name. From 2023-2024, Mark worked as a legal researcher for the Office of the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools, focusing on the application of international criminal law and human rights law, the primary areas of his expertise and research. Mark’s research often appears in media publications, and he writes regularly for news outlets, including the Globe and Mail, Al Jazeera, and the Toronto Star. Outside of his work, Mark has a passion for gardening, reading, traveling, hockey (on ice), date nights, late nights, Lego, and spending time with loved ones.

• BCL/JD McGill University Faculty of Law
• PhD, London School of Economics and Political Science (International Relations)
• MSc London School of Economics and Political Science (International Relations)
• BA (Honours), University of Guelph (History)

• International and national human rights law
• International criminal law and justice
• International law and Indigenous Peoples
• Transitional Justice
• International humanitarian law
• Canadian law and legal systems

• National and international responses human rights violations and mass atrocity events
• Emerging evidence collection and preservation techniques
• International courts and tribunals
• Canadian legal systems and politics
• Transnational organized crimes and their links with international crimes
• Asset seizure and recovery for the purposes of remedying human rights violations
• Conflict and peace studies
• Legal history
• Conflict resolution and peace negotiations