Previously, Katja served in the UK’s Royal Navy as a sea-going logistics officer, as well as a naval barrister advising on Criminal, Military and International Law matters. As a Lieutenant Commander, her responsibilities extended to managing a large team of personnel and £multi-million assets in a busy, reactive and operational environment. After leaving military service in 2004, Katja worked mainly within the academic sector at a number of leading UK universities until 2017 when she founded GSDM. An experienced consultant and project manager, she is also an award-winning researcher / author and has held a number of external appointments especially in the fields of research and international law development.

Katja has been, and continues to be, active in diverse external roles. These have included: Co-Chair, American Society of International Law (Disaster Law Interest Group) (2017-2019);

Member of the prestigious peer review college of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (2014-2017); Member of the Global Research Challenges Fund (2016-18); and Committee member of the International Law Association’s Due Diligence Study Group (2012-2016).

Well-travelled (57 countries to date), Katja is conversant and comfortable working with diverse cultures and traditions, and has various degrees of language skills (especially French, German and Spanish).

In her spare time, she enjoys doing charitable work, travel, skiing and coastal walking with her dog.

• Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Authority (2015).
• Postgraduate Certificate of Academic Practice, University of Reading (2015).
• PhD:  Public International Law, University of Sheffield (2006-2010) (awarded without corrections).
• LLM:  Public International Law, University of Nottingham (2004-2005) (awarded with distinction).
• Called to the Bar, Gray's Inn (October 1997).
• Bar Vocational Course:  Inns of Court School of Law (1996-1997).
• Law Society Finals Examination:  Nottingham Trent University (1991-1992).
• BA Hons (Law): University of Durham (1990-1991).

• Katja Samuel and Shaun Ryles, 'Rethinking Counter-Drone Management: The Need for a Resilience Solution' (Part 1); and 'Rethinking Counter-Drone Management: Developing a Resilience Solution (Part 2), Defence IQ January 2020 (forthcoming).
• Katja Samuel, 'The critical need for a paradigm shift for the prevention and mitigation of risk in Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships and framework development challenges', 29(8) Risk Management Today (2019), pp. 102-107.
• W. B. Banks and K. L. H. Samuel, 'Hybrid Threats, Terrorism and Resilience Planning', ICCT, September 2019.
• K.L.H. Samuel, M. Aronsson-Storrier and K. Bookmiller (eds), Cambridge Handbook on Disaster Risk Reduction and International Law (Cambridge University Press, 2019).
• K.L.H. Samuel and R.C. Cornforth, 'DRR, Early Warning Systems and Global Health: Critiquing the Current System-Based Approach' in K.L.H. Samuel, M. Aronsson-Storrier and K. Bookmiller (eds), Cambridge Handbook on Disaster Risk Reduction and International Law (Cambridge University Press, 2019).
• K.L.H. Samuel, W.B. Banks and D. Richemond-Barak, 'Improving Disaster Risk Mitigation: Towards a 'Multi-Hazard' Approach to Terrorism', in K.L.H. Samuel, M. Aronsson-Storrier and K. Bookmiller (eds), Cambridge Handbook on Disaster Risk Reduction and International Law (Cambridge University Press, 2019).
• K.L.H. Samuel and S Venier, ‘The due diligence obligations of international organisations engaged in disaster management’ in Sergey Sayapin (ed), An Introduction to International Conflict and Security Law  (TMC Asser Press and Springer, 2019 forthcoming)
• K.L.H. Samuel, 'The Legal Character of Due Diligence: Standards, Obligations or Both?', 1 Central Asian Yearbook of International Law (2019).
• K.L.H. Samuel and C.G. Chai, 'Closing the "Intangible Technology Transfer" Gap within the Existing Legal Frameworks: Time for an Additional Protocol(s)?' 6(1) Groningen Journal of International Law (2018, forthcoming) 191-215.
• K.L.H Samuel, ‘Intangible Technology Transfers and the Crime-Terror Nexus’, RUSI SHOC/ECPR–SGOC Informer blog (23 October 2018), https://shoc.rusi.org/informer/intangible-technology-transfers-and-crime-terror-nexus.
• Simon Whitbourn and Katja Samuel, 'The Checklist on Law and Disaster Preparedness and Response in the United Kingdom' (Knightwood Legal and GSDM Ltd, 14 December 2017).
• E. Chadwick and K.L.H. Samuel, ‘In Faint Praise of the Derogating Will’ 26 Nottingham Law Journal (2017) 87-101.
• S.C. Breau and K.L.H. Samuel (eds), Research Handbook on Disasters and International Law (Edward Elgar, 2016).
• International Law Association Study Group on Due Diligence, contributed as Member to 2nd report, 77th Biennial International Law Association Conference, Johannesburg, South Africa (7-12 August 2016).
• K.L.H. Samuel, The OIC, the UN, and Counter-Terrorism Law-Making: Conflicting or Cooperative Legal Orders? (Hart, 2013) [awarded the prestigious Society of Legal Scholars’ Birks Prize for outstanding legal scholarship (2015)].
• International Law Association Committee on Islamic Law and International Law, contributed as Member to 3rd report, 76th Biennial International Law Association Conference, Washington DC, USA (7-12 April 2014).
• Written submission to the UK Parliamentary Defence Select Committee Inquiry on 'UK Armed Forces Personnel and the Legal Framework for Future Operations' (December 2013).
• A.-M. Salinas de Friás, K.L.H. Samuel, and N.D. White (eds), Counter-Terrorism: International Law and Practice (Oxford University Press, 2012).
• K.L.H. Samuel, 'The Rule of Law Framework and its Lacunae: Normative, Interpretative, and/or Policy Created?' in A.-M. Salinas de Friás, K.L.H. Samuel, and N.D. White (eds), Counter-Terrorism: International Law and Practice (Oxford University Press, 2012).
• K.L.H. Samuel, N.D. White, and A.-M. Salinas de Friás, ‘Multi-National Counter-Terrorism Expert Network: UN Reform, the Rule of Law, and Counter-Terrorism: How Can Past Lessons Inform Future Responses?’ (Nottingham University, March 2012).
• K.L.H. Samuel, N.D. White, and A.-M. Salinas de Friás, ‘Multi-National Counter-Terrorism Expert Network: Report of Key Findings and Recommendations on the Rule of Law and Counter-Terrorism’ (Nottingham University, January 2012).
• K.L.H. Samuel and N.D. White (eds), Counter-Terrorism and International Law (Ashgate, 2012).