Bio
Pioneering lawyer and scholar Emily E. Arnold-Fernández is the Managing Editor of Forced Migration Review, a publication of the Refugee Studies Centre at University of Oxford. She also holds the position of Book Reviews Editor at Refuge, Canada's Journal on Refugees, and is writing an academic book on Refugees and Work in Law and Practice.
Emily is the founder of Asylum Access, the leading global refugee human rights organization. She served as CEO from the organization’s inception in 2005 until 2022. Her tenure saw Asylum Access successfully catalyze changes to state and multilateral policies and practices that impacted over a million refugees worldwide, dismantling barriers that keep refugees from living safely, moving freely, working, attending school and participating in the decisions that affect their lives.
Emily works across the academic and practice worlds on a range of topics including migration, human rights, inclusive economies, digital worlds and social change. As a strategic consultant, she has worked with clients including NYU's Center on International Cooperation, InterAction coalition, and OneShared.World. She has taught at institutions including Stanford University (Stanford Law School), York University (Faculty of Law), University of San Francisco (McLaren School of Management), Pomona College (Draper Center for Community Partnerships), and University of London (School of Advanced Study). She regularly speaks at conferences around the world and has published in a range of academic publications as well as those aimed at policymakers and the general public.
Emily's achievements have earned her numerous accolades, including the Equality and Nondiscrimination Award from Mexico's National Council to Prevent Discrimination (2016); the prestigious Grinnell Prize (2013); and recognition by the Dalai Lama as one of 50 “Unsung Heroes of Compassion” (2009). She served on the Advisory Board of the Refugee Studies Centre at Oxford University from 2014 to 2017, and holds a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center and a Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Pomona College.