Ph.D, Maritime Law, University of Nantes, France
LL.M in international law, University of Perpignan, France
MS.c, Management of Maritime Affairs, Institute of Business Administration (IAE), University of Perpignan, France
Dr. Khanssa Lagdami is an Associate Professor of Maritime Labour Law and Policy (ITF Seafarers Trust) at the World Maritime University (WMU), where she has served since 2015. She is also a lead member of WMU's Future of Work Programme, engaging in research and capacity-building projects that address the evolving challenges facing the maritime labour market.
Dr. Lagdami's work sits at the intersection of law, policy, and practice. Her expertise spans maritime labour law, human rights at sea, maritime security, and the impact of new technologies, including AI, automation, and surveillance, on seafarers' occupational safety and mental health. Over her career at WMU, she has led and contributed to major international research and capacity-building projects at WMU, including WeCAPS, an EU-funded project strengthening port security in West and Central Africa; and the WMU/ITF Transport 2040: The Future of Work flagship research programme on the future of maritime employment (Phase I and II).
She currently serves as Principal Investigator on several ongoing research and capacity-building projects, including Food4Seafarers, a pilot initiative with the ITF Seafarers' Trust examining catering standards and food quality for seafarers; Abandonment of Seafarers: Governance, Coordination, and the Case for Reform, a project of the legal and institutional gaps behind seafarer abandonment cases; and Corruption Challenges in Port and Ship Inspections: An Evidence-Based Assessment and Best Practices, a research project examining corruption risks in port and ship inspection regimes.
Human rights at sea and the protection of seafarers' rights lie at the heart of Dr. Lagdami's work. She is a committed advocate for stronger legal protections for those who live and work at sea, and brings this commitment directly into the classroom, most notably through her lectures on the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006 and its amendments, where she works to equip the next generation of maritime professionals with both the legal grounding and the sense of responsibility needed to advance seafarers' welfare worldwide. She teaches and coordinates courses on maritime labour law, maritime security, and safety within the Maritime Law and Policy specialisation, and supervises MSc, LLM, and PhD students. Before joining WMU, Dr. Lagdami taught international public law, the law of the sea, and maritime law at the Faculty of Law, University of Nantes, France, and worked in academia, private legal practice, and the maritime industry in France.
Dr. Lagdami holds a Ph.D. in Maritime Law from the University of Nantes (awarded with high distinction), an M.Sc. in Management of Maritime Affairs, and an LL.M. in International and Comparative Law, both from the University of Perpignan, France. In 2012, she was selected, among ten researchers worldwide, for a highly competitive research fellowship at the Centre for Studies and Research in International Law and International Relations of the Hague Academy of International Law, the Netherlands. She has completed executive education through the Higher Education Teaching Certificate from Harvard University's Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, and the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School (Oxford Women's Leadership Development Programme). She has lived and worked in several countries, including Morocco, France, the United States, and now Sweden, an international path that shapes her cross-cultural approach to teaching and research.
She regularly serves as a consultant to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the European Commission, and other international and regional organisations, delivering training and capacity-building on maritime law and policy in French-, English-, and Arabic-speaking countries. She has extensive experience working directly with maritime and port authorities across Africa, gained through the implementation of consultancy and capacity-building projects in the region. She has also been a guest lecturer at institutions including the Sanremo International Institute of Humanitarian Law, and continues to serve as a guest lecturer at Kadir Has University's International Law of the Sea Summer Academy in Istanbul.
Within WMU, Dr. Lagdami currently serves as Vice Chair of the Staff Association Committee (SAC). She is also active in academic peer review, serving as a reviewer for several journals, including Marine Policy.
Dr. Lagdami has an extensive record of scholarly publication, spanning peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and institutional reports. She is co-editor, with Professor James Kraska (US Naval War College and Harvard Law School), of Marine Technology, Ocean Development and the Law of the Sea (Cambridge University Press), an edited volume examining how emerging technologies, including autonomous vessels, artificial intelligence, and alternative fuels, are reshaping ocean law and governance. Her journal articles have appeared in outlets such as Transport Policy, Maritime Technology and Research, and the Australian Journal of Maritime & Ocean Affairs, covering topics including maritime autonomous surface ships, technostress at sea, and the impact of AI and surveillance on seafarers. She has also authored or co-authored numerous institutional reports for organisations including WMU/ITF, the European Commission, and the IMO, among them chapters of the flagship Transport 2040: The Future of Work report series and studies on social aspects within the maritime transport sector.
Dr. Khanssa Lagdami is an Associate Professor of Maritime Labour Law and Policy (ITF Seafarers Trust) at the World Maritime University (WMU), where she has served since 2015. She is also a lead member of WMU's Future of Work Programme, engaging in research and capacity-building projects that address the evolving challenges facing the maritime labour market.
Dr. Lagdami's work sits at the intersection of law, policy, and practice. Her expertise spans maritime labour law, human rights at sea, maritime security, and the impact of new technologies, including AI, automation, and surveillance, on seafarers' occupational safety and mental health. Over her career at WMU, she has led and contributed to major international research and capacity-building projects at WMU, including WeCAPS, an EU-funded project strengthening port security in West and Central Africa; and the WMU/ITF Transport 2040: The Future of Work flagship research programme on the future of maritime employment (Phase I and II).
She currently serves as Principal Investigator on several ongoing research and capacity-building projects, including Food4Seafarers, a pilot initiative with the ITF Seafarers' Trust examining catering standards and food quality for seafarers; Abandonment of Seafarers: Governance, Coordination, and the Case for Reform, a project of the legal and institutional gaps behind seafarer abandonment cases; and Corruption Challenges in Port and Ship Inspections: An Evidence-Based Assessment and Best Practices, a research project examining corruption risks in port and ship inspection regimes.
Human rights at sea and the protection of seafarers' rights lie at the heart of Dr. Lagdami's work. She is a committed advocate for stronger legal protections for those who live and work at sea, and brings this commitment directly into the classroom, most notably through her lectures on the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006 and its amendments, where she works to equip the next generation of maritime professionals with both the legal grounding and the sense of responsibility needed to advance seafarers' welfare worldwide. She teaches and coordinates courses on maritime labour law, maritime security, and safety within the Maritime Law and Policy specialisation, and supervises MSc, LLM, and PhD students. Before joining WMU, Dr. Lagdami taught international public law, the law of the sea, and maritime law at the Faculty of Law, University of Nantes, France, and worked in academia, private legal practice, and the maritime industry in France.
Dr. Lagdami holds a Ph.D. in Maritime Law from the University of Nantes (awarded with high distinction), an M.Sc. in Management of Maritime Affairs, and an LL.M. in International and Comparative Law, both from the University of Perpignan, France. In 2012, she was selected, among ten researchers worldwide, for a highly competitive research fellowship at the Centre for Studies and Research in International Law and International Relations of the Hague Academy of International Law, the Netherlands. She has completed executive education through the Higher Education Teaching Certificate from Harvard University's Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, and the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School (Oxford Women's Leadership Development Programme). She has lived and worked in several countries, including Morocco, France, the United States, and now Sweden, an international path that shapes her cross-cultural approach to teaching and research.
She regularly serves as a consultant to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the European Commission, and other international and regional organisations, delivering training and capacity-building on maritime law and policy in French-, English-, and Arabic-speaking countries. She has extensive experience working directly with maritime and port authorities across Africa, gained through the implementation of consultancy and capacity-building projects in the region. She has also been a guest lecturer at institutions including the Sanremo International Institute of Humanitarian Law, and continues to serve as a guest lecturer at Kadir Has University's International Law of the Sea Summer Academy in Istanbul.
Within WMU, Dr. Lagdami currently serves as Vice Chair of the Staff Association Committee (SAC). She is also active in academic peer review, serving as a reviewer for several journals, including Marine Policy.
Dr. Lagdami has an extensive record of scholarly publication, spanning peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and institutional reports. She is co-editor, with Professor James Kraska (US Naval War College and Harvard Law School), of Marine Technology, Ocean Development and the Law of the Sea (Cambridge University Press), an edited volume examining how emerging technologies, including autonomous vessels, artificial intelligence, and alternative fuels, are reshaping ocean law and governance. Her journal articles have appeared in outlets such as Transport Policy, Maritime Technology and Research, and the Australian Journal of Maritime & Ocean Affairs, covering topics including maritime autonomous surface ships, technostress at sea, and the impact of AI and surveillance on seafarers. She has also authored or co-authored numerous institutional reports for organisations including WMU/ITF, the European Commission, and the IMO, among them chapters of the flagship Transport 2040: The Future of Work report series and studies on social aspects within the maritime transport sector.
