As global trade, investment, and geopolitical dynamics continue to shift, international economic law is playing an increasingly central role in shaping how countries — and the institutions and systems that govern them — interact. Two new faculty appointments at Queen’s Law will strengthen the school’s expertise in this evolving field while bringing distinct global perspectives to its teaching and research.

Preston Lim and Stanley U. Nweke‑Eze will join the Faculty as assistant professors on July 1.

“Preston Lim’s global and public-facing approach reflects a commitment to integrating theory and practice, placing him at the forefront of international economic law scholarship,” says Dean Colleen M. Flood. “Stanley Nweke‑Eze’s wide-ranging expertise in diverse legal traditions, bridging theory and practice, highlights the valuable perspectives he brings to the field.

“Together,” she adds, “their expertise will complement the work of Professor Nicolas Lamp as we continue to enhance and deepen our well-established International Economic Law program.”

Preston Lim

Lim’s research examines the interplay among international law, Canadian constitutional law, and China’s role in the global economic order — areas of growing importance amid shifting geopolitical and economic relationships.

“Among other topics, I study Sino-Canadian relations as well as China’s multifaceted approach towards international economic law,” Lim explains. “Given the dramatic changes that are occurring within the international system, it is vital that Canadians have access to informed and thoughtful commentary on various aspects of Chinese governance and foreign policy.”

His work is aimed at informing how Canada responds to these changes. He focuses in particular on how governments navigate complex relationships with China, as well as how provinces shape Canada’s foreign policy through their role in federalism.

Lim joins Queen’s from Villanova University after completing his SJD at the University of Toronto this spring, supported by major awards including a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarship. He also holds a JD from Yale Law School, a Master of Global Affairs from Tsinghua University, and a BA from Princeton University.

His work has appeared or is forthcoming in law reviews such as the Indiana Law Journal, the Cornell International Law Journal, and the Asia-Pacific Law & Policy Journal. He has also written extensively for newspapers and popular outlets, shared his research insights in the media, and presented his work to members of the White House National Security Council and the Senate of Canada Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, among other bodies.

Complementing his academic work is significant public and legal service, including clerking for Chief Justice Richard Wagner at the Supreme Court of Canada and serving as a policy advisor in the House of Commons, counsel in public inquiries, and arbitral secretary in complex commercial disputes.

Drawn to Queen’s by its strength in international law, Lim says he is eager to contribute to a collaborative and intellectually rich environment. “Queen’s Law is home to some of the country’s and world’s most renowned scholars of international law, and I look forward to learning with and from them,” he says. “I am particularly excited to contribute to the International Law Program at Bader College.”

On campus in 2026–27, he will teach a first-year Contracts section and a new seminar, International Law and China. Noting that mentors who are Queen’s Law alumni and past visits to the school highlighted its strong sense of collegiality, he says, “This collegiality is, I think, a major reason why Queen’s Law has such a strong track record of training outstanding lawyers and leaders in the field. I am excited to work closely with my students and to serve as a mentor in their academic and professional journeys.”

Stanley U. Nweke‑Eze

Nweke‑Eze’s research examines how the legal frameworks governing global trade and foreign investment shape inclusive development in the Global South and beyond, specifically how they affect states, investors, and local communities.

“I analyse these dynamics in several contexts, including Africa’s economic relationships with Canada and China, which are increasingly significant in today’s geopolitical landscape,” he says. “Equally central to my work is assessing how the disputes that arise from cross-border trade and foreign investment regimes are resolved — through arbitration, litigation in domestic and international courts, and other mechanisms — and how those processes can better promote access to justice and equity.”

Nweke‑Eze joins the faculty following a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship at Queen’s. He holds a PhD in International Investment Law from the University of Hong Kong, LLM degrees from Harvard Law School and the University of Cambridge, a first-class LLB from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, and a Certificate in International Law from the Hague Academy of International Law.

His scholarship features publications in peer‑reviewed journals, including Arbitration International and African Journal of International Economic Law, contributions in edited volumes, and a monograph under contract with Cambridge University Press on performance requirements as development tools in international investment law.

Admitted to practise law in Nigeria, New York, and England & Wales, Nweke-Eze brings more than a decade of practice experience advising and representing sovereigns, state-owned entities, multinational corporations, local communities, and international organizations in cross-border and domestic disputes and commercial transactions. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and has also contributed to policy reform through consulting engagements with international organisations and research institutes.

“At a time when the rules governing the global economy are being tested, I wanted to join a collegial and vibrant faculty where my research in international economic law and dispute settlement could flourish,” he explains. “After a rewarding postdoctoral fellowship at Queen’s Law, I am confident it is the ideal place to continue my academic career.”

In 2026-27, he will continue to teach Business Associations and Commercial Law, while introducing a new seminar, International Economic Law and Development. “I look forward to drawing on my practice experience to help students work through real-world legal problems and to support them as they chart their professional paths,” he says.

“I am equally eager to collaborate with colleagues whose research intersects with mine,” he adds, “and to help bolster international economic law as a well-established field of study at Queen’s, including by contributing to the summer International Law Program.”