Lowell Bautista

Lowell Bautista is Associate Professor at the School of Law and a Staff Member the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), Faculty of Business and Law, University of Wollongong. Dr Bautista is recognised for his expertise in the law of the sea, particularly for his contributions in the area of territorial and maritime disputes in the Asia-Pacific, especially on the South China Sea. He has an established and solid track record of research publication and active research collaborations with government and academic institutions and scholars regionally and globally.

He is a lawyer with over ten years of experience in legal and policy research, litigation and consultancy. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (cum laude) and a Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of the Philippines, a Master of Laws (Marine and Environmental Law) degree from Dalhousie University in Canada and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in law from the University of Wollongong. His areas of research include territorial and maritime boundary issues in the Asia-Pacific, the South China Sea, Philippine maritime and territorial issues, maritime piracy and terrorism, international humanitarian law, underwater cultural heritage, and international environmental law, on which topics he has also published.

Dr Bautista has participated in numerous research and consultancies, as well as in the preparation of submissions, opinions, and reports for government department and agencies in Australia and in the Philippines, as well as for regional and international organisations. On numerous occasions, Dr Bautista has provided confidential advice and opinions on matters pertaining to offshore oil and gas resources, the law of the sea, the South China Sea, maritime boundary delimitation and public international law to the Philippine Government as well as to private companies in the Philippines and in Australia.