Vesselin Popovski undertakes research and teaching in peace and security, international law, human rights, international criminal justice. He published numerous chapters in books and articles in peer reviewed journals and edited the following books: International Criminal Accountability and the Rights of Children with Karin Arts (Hague Academic Press, 2006); World Religions and Norms of War with Greg Reichberg and Nick Turner (UNU Press, 2009); Democracy in the South with Brendan Howe and Mark Notaras (UNU Press 2010); Human Rights Regimes in the Americas with Monica Serrano (UNU Press 2010).

He is completing a trilogy: Engaging Civil Society, Building Trust in Government and Cross-Border Governance with Shabbir Cheema (UNU Press 2010). Currently editing Legality and Legitimacy in International Order with Richard Falk (Oxford University Press 2011); Responsibility to Protect Minorities and Role of Kin State with Ramesh Thakur and Walter Kemp (UNU Press 2011) and Effectiveness of Transitional Justice and Accountability in Latin America and Eastern Europe (UNU Press 2011).

Before coming to UNU, Vesselin Popovski took part in two major international initiatives: ICISS Report Responsibility to Protect and Princeton Principles of Universal Jurisdiction and co-authored their final publications. He worked as Bulgarian diplomat, NATO Research Fellow, Lecturer and Programme Director in the Centre for European Studies, Exeter University, UK. Apart from Exeter, he taught master’s courses in peace and security, international law, human rights at King’s College, London; Centre for Study of Democracy, Westminster University, Huron University (USA), State Humanitarian University (Russia), Aoyama Gakuin (Japan). Between 2002 to 2004 he worked for the European Union project ‘Legal Protection of Individual Rights in Russia’, training Russian lawyers to apply international human rights mechanisms.