Biography

Overview

Dr. Kebene Wodajo earned her Doctor of Laws (PhD) from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Law in 2019, focusing her doctoral dissertation on “Social Responsibility of Multinational Enterprises and Regulatory Challenges: Socio-Legal and Economic Analyses.” She also holds impressive qualifications including an LL.M. and LL.M./MA in European Master in Law and Economics (magna cum laude) from Universität Hamburg in partnership with the University of California at Berkeley, Ghent University, and Aix-Marseille Université in 2017, specializing in her thesis on “Multinational Enterprises' Tort Liability: Opportunities and Challenges under Limited Liability Rule.” Furthermore, she obtained an LL.M. in Master of International Law (GPA 4.0/4.0) from Wuhan University in 2013, with her thesis centered on “The Legality of the EU Emission Trading System on Aviation: Under the Doctrine of Sovereignty and GATT Rules.” Her academic journey commenced with an LL.B. Degree in Law from Mekelle University Faculty of Law in 2008, with her thesis on “Human Rights Violation against Ethiopian Women Migrant Workers in the Gulf and the Responsibility of the State under International Law.”

Dr. Kebene is a prolific researcher, contributing numerous scholarly articles, book chapters, and opinion papers on a range of subjects and presenting them at international conferences. On top of these, Dr. Kebene has also held editorial positions such as Assistant Editor of African Journal of Business Ethics, investigating research papers on business ethics with a focus on Africa, and Assistant Editor of Asian Journal of Law and Society, reviewing socio-legal research papers and supporting junior editors.

Her exceptional educational background, coupled with her extensive research and consulting experience, has established Dr. Kebene as a distinguished legal researcher and consultant across a range of topics. Her areas of expertise include international law, international economic law, corporate governance, economic analysis of law, public and private international law, law of the sea, humanitarian law, environmental law, Ethiopian law, and human rights law.

In addition to her role as a part time legal consultant at Makkobilli, Dr. Kebene holds positions as a Lecturer and Senior Scientific Assistant at ETH Zurich (Ethics, Technology, and Society).

Education

Doctor of Laws (PhD), from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Law, Shanghai (China) (September 2014 – March 2019)

LLM, LLM & MA in European Master in Law and Economics (magna cum laude), from Universität Hamburg (Germany) with University of California at Berkeley (United States of America), Ghent University (Belgium), and Aix-Marseille Université (France) (October 2016 – September 2017)

LL.M. in Master of International Law (GPA 4.0/4.0), from Wuhan University, Wuhan (China) (September 2011 – July 2013)

LL.B Degree in Law, from Mekelle University Faculty of Law (2008, Ethiopia)

Short Term Courses/Trainings

Oxford Media Law and Society Summer Institute, Participated and presented on the role of digital platforms in conflict zones. (August 1-13, 2022)

Harvard University STS Summer Program, Participation on the Expertise, Trust and Democracy in a technological society (August 20-26, 2023)

Languages

English

Amharic

Afaan Oromoo

Experience

ETH Zürich, Ethics, Technology and Society, Lecturer and Senior Scientific Assistant (Oberassistentin), (01/01/2024 – Present)

University of St. Gallen, Institute for Business Ethics, St. Galle (Switzerland), Lecturer and Senior research fellow (post-doc), (01/01/2021 – 31/12/2023)

Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels School of Governance (Belgium), Adjunct Ass. Prof., European and International Human Rights Protection at the LLM in International and European Law Programme, (01/12/2022 – 01/01/2024)

University of St. Gallen, Institute for Business Ethics, St. Galle (Switzerland), Visiting/senior research fellow at Institute of Business Ethics, (06/01/2020 – 31/12/2020)

 Embode Consultancy, Hong Kong & Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), National Consultant and researcher, (Consulted on International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) project on irregular migration from Ethiopia with focus on social stigma and discrimination against returnee migrants) (Part-time) (01/11/2019 – 31/8/2020)

Ambo University, Ambo & Addis Ababa University, School of Law, AA (Ethiopia), Lecturer & visiting lecturer of law (01/04/2019–30/12/2019)

University of California at Berkeley, School of Law, Berkeley (United States of America), Visiting student researcher, Center for Law and Economics (03/04/2017–31/07/2017)

Ambo University, School of Law, Ambo (Ethiopia), Academic staff (01/08/2013–27/08/2014, 03/01/2011–27/08/2011)

Oromia Regional Gov’t Industry & Urban Development Bureau, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Assistant office consultant (01/04/2010–31/12/2010)

Wollega University, School of Law, Wollega (Ethiopia), Graduate assistant and researcher at the intersection of law, community service and gender (01/09/2008–31/03/2010)

Legal Research Outputs

Selected Publications

Kebene Wodajo, The user state: an alternative reading of the state role and duty in the age of platformized harm, International Journal of Law and Information Technology, Vol. 31:1, (Spring 2023):1–21, https://doi.org/10.1093/ijlit/eaad009

Dorothea Endres, Luisa Hedler & Kebene Wodajo, Bias in Social Media Content Management: What Do Human Rights Have To Do With It?, AJIL Unbound Vol.117 (2023): 139-144, doi:10.1017/aju.2023.23.

Kebene Wodajo, Subsiding structural injustice in cyberspace through people’s right to privacy?, Journal Science, Technology and Society (forthcoming 2024).

Kebene Wodajo, Mapping (in)visibility and structural injustice in the digital space, Journal of Responsible Technology, Vol.9: 100024 (2022), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrt.2022.100024.

Kebene Wodajo, Contested Space and Self-determination: The Dynamics of Ethiopia’s Digital Space, Northeast African Studies, Vol. 21:2 (2021) 227-264.

Kebene Wodajo and Isabel Ebert, Reimagining responsibility for structural (in)justice in the digital ecosystem: A perspective from African ethics of duty, AfronomicsLAW (September, 2021).

Başak Bağlayan, Ingrid Landau, Marisa McVey & Kebene Wodajo, Good Business: the Economic Case for Protecting Human Rights (2018) Report.

Kebene Wodajo, Multinational Enterprise Tort Liability and Limited Liability Rule: An Economic Analysis, International Company and Commercial Law Review, 4 (2018): 283-300

Book Chapters

Kebene Wodajo, The societal dimensions to freedom of thought in the digital age and strategic litigation in Shiner, Bethany & O’Callaghan, Patrick (eds.) The Cambridge Handbook of the Right to Freedom of Thought (forthcoming on Cambridge University Press).

Kebene Wodajo and Dalia Palombo, Cross-cultural perspectives on Business and Human Rights: Insights from African Perspective. in Handbook on Business and Human Rights in Africa (forthcoming on Springer).

Kebene Wodajo & Florian Wettstein, The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP) in Thomas Cottier & Krista Nadakavukaren Schefer (eds.) Elgar Encyclopedia of International Economic Law

Opinion Papers

Kebene Wodajo, Digitalizing Identity: Precautionary Thoughts on Ethiopia’s “Fayda” Number, OpinioJuris (Feb. 10, 2022).

Kebene Wodajo and Dawit Ayana, Tech-mediated Tracking: A Viable Tool to Contain COVID-19 in Ethiopia?, AfronomicsLAW (June 2, 2020).

Kebene Wodajo, Social Audit Reform Options: Towards Auditor Liability and Multi-stakeholder Oversight, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (Mar. 12, 2019).

Teferi Mergo and Kebene Wodajo, Ethiopia’s Breakup Doesn’t Have to Be Violent, Foreign Policy Magazine (Nov. 27, 2021)

Kebene K. Wodajo, Making Extraordinary Power Part of the Ordinary Discourse? The Case of Ethiopia’s State of Emergency Declared on February 16 Abyssinia Law (Feb. 26, 2018).

Selected Conference Presentations

Kebene Wodajo, “The regulated capacity of the state and state violence on digital platforms” presented at the American Society of International Law Midyear meeting, 12 Nov. 2022, US.

Kebene Wodajo, “The Responsibility of Victims: Towards Pluralistic People-centered Digital Justice” presented at European Society of International Law Annual Conference, 31 Aug. 2022, The Netherlands.

Kebene Wodajo, “Platform governance during conflict: the case of Ethiopia” presented at Oxford Media Law and Policy Summer Institute, 8 Aug. 2022, UK.

Kebene Wodajo, “Contested space and self-determination: The Dynamics of Ethiopia’s digital space” presented at VAD conference, 10 Jun. 2022, Germany.

Kebene Wodajo, “Remedying adverse human rights impacts arising from Digital Technologies: a bird’s eye view” presented at OHCHR Multi-stakeholder Consultation on Access to Remedy in the Tech Sector, 23-24 September 2021, Geneva, Switzerland.

Ebert, Isabel & Wodajo, Kebene, «Algorithms in the making - Addressing structural injustices in the data economy.» Women in Big Data. November 2021.

Kebene Wodajo, “The Role of Tech-companies in Addressing Human Rights Risks in Africa,” Oral presentation at CCAR Launch, January 14-15, 2020, St.Gallen, Swizerland.

Kebene K. Wodajo, “The Place of Oromo Women in Ethiopia’s Past and Present,” Oral presentation at the UN Women – The role of women in peace building, October 8, 2019, Adama, Ethiopia.

Kebene Wodajo, “Handling the Costs of Litigation over Corporate Abuses,” in The Economic case for Promoting Human Right, Oral presentation at the 7th UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, November 26-28, 2018, UN Geneva, Switzerland.

Kebene Wodajo, “Multinational Enterprises’ Social Responsibility and Liability Rules: An Economic Analysis,” Oral presentation at The 3rd Business and Human Rights Young Researchers Summit in, April 19-20, 2018, New York University, New York, USA.