José Enrique Alvarez

José E. Alvarez immigrated to the United States from Cuba at the age of 6. After degrees at Harvard College, Oxford, and Harvard Law School, he joined the US State Department as an attorney-adviser. He started teaching law full time in 1989 at George Washington and thereafter Michigan and Columbia law schools.

He is now the Herbert and Rose Rubin Professor of International Law at New York University Law School and the faculty director for its US-Asia Law Institute. A former President of the American Society of International Law and co-editor-in-chief of the American Journal of International Law, Prof. Alvarez is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Institut de Droit International. His 7 books and more than 170 other publications address diverse aspects of international law, including international criminal law, human rights, international trade and investment, as well as the roles of international organizations and courts.

Alvarez was awarded in April 2024 the highest honor conferred by the American Society of International Law, the Manley Hudson Medal for scholarship and service to the field. His most recent co-authored book, published by Oxford University Press, addresses women's property rights under international law. Currently he is drawing lessons on how best to reform the global health and international investment regimes in light of criticisms of both.

None of this would have been possible without the endless patience of his loving spouse for more than 33 years, Susan Damplo.