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Frédéric Perron-Welch (LLB ’10) joined the Schulich School of Law in February 2026 for a one-year research fellow position in infectious disease innovation governance. He is also a research fellow in planetary health justice with the Earth Systems Governance Project.

Perron-Welch is currently a doctoral candidate at the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies of Leiden Law School in the Netherlands and has 15 years of diplomatic experience representing intergovernmental, academic, civil society, and private sector organizations. He co-chairs the Canadian Environment Network Biodiversity Caucus and is a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature World Commission on Environmental Law Biodiversity Law Specialist Group.

Tell us about your academic and legal background.

I am an environmental historian and graduate of the Schulich School of Law where I obtained an LLB in 2010 with an environmental law certificate through the Marine & Environmental Law Program. I articled with the Canadian Environmental Law Association and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2011. My advanced legal studies were carried out at the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies of Leiden Law School, where I am preparing to defend my PhD in public international law through the Grotius PhD Track.

What appealed to you about this fellowship at the Schulich School of Law?

I worked as a technical officer and BioHub System rapporteur at the World Health Organization (WHO) during the COVID-19 pandemic and as a junior research fellow at the Geneva Graduate Institute, which gave me a first-hand perspective on infectious disease innovation governance during an international health emergency.

From that experience, I learned that much remains to be done to improve international systems to govern innovation on infectious diseases from many perspectives, from environmental law to human rights and intellectual property, and I co-authored a piece on the topic for ASIL Insights. I maintained a keen interest in global pathogen governance, and this fellowship was well aligned with developing that interest further.

Read more: Gian Luca Burci and Frederic Perron-Welch, International Sharing of Human Pathogens to Promote Global Health Security—Still a Work in Progress, ASIL Insights (Vol. 25, Issue 13, July 20, 2021)

What will you be working on while you’re here?

During my fellowship, I will be concentrating on global health law and global health governance, with a focus on infectious diseases and innovation. In particular, I will focus on the WHO Pandemic Agreement, the Medicines Patent Pool, and deep pandemic prevention.