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A former Principal Associate to WA Chief Justice Wayne Martin AC who aims to pursue a career in human rights has been awarded a 2013 Fulbright Western Australia Scholarship to undertake research in the United States.

Lawyer Roxanne Moore, who is an Arts/Law graduate of The University of Western Australia, works for lawyers Arnold Bloch Leibler in Sydney.

She will spend a year at New York University doing a LLM (International Legal Studies), specialising in public international law and human rights law.

"I aspire to become a human rights advocate; to use the power of the law to protect the rights of vulnerable people and to demand justice where human rights have been abused," she said.

Studying in the US will provide many opportunities that would not otherwise be available in Australia, Ms Moore said.

"It will enable me to learn from some of the most respected academics and leaders in their field at one of the world's highest-ranked universities as well as to gain hands-on experience in human rights advocacy through participation in university clinics.

"This experience will provide me with an excellent foundation upon which to return to Australia to advocate for human rights within the current legal framework - either through pro bono work or by working directly for a non-government organisation - and to contribute to reforming Australia's legal structures for human rights protection," she said.

Ms Moore is looking forward to learning more about public international law and comparative human rights law systems, particularly in the Asia Pacific.

She is also keen to increase her knowledge about specific human rights topics and to gain practical experience in human rights advocacy and research.

At UWA, Ms Moore gained a LLB (Distinction) and a BA with a major in Indonesian language.  She also represented UWA in the international rounds of the 2009 Philip C Jessup International Law Mooting Competition.  The former Margaret River Senior High School student enrolled in UWA after winning a UWA Excellence Award.

UWA's other 2013 Fulbright Scholar, Dr Tiago Tomaz, will attend the University of Illinois in the US to study to ozone tolerance of one of the world's major cereals: maize (sweet corn).

Media references

Roxanne Moore (+61 2)  9226 7249  /  (+61 4) 08 007 549
Michael Sinclair-Jones (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 3229  /  (+61 4) 00 700 783