School of Law

Dr Miranda Geelhoed

  • Research Associate (School of Law)

Biography

Dr Miranda Geelhoed joined the University of Glasgow in January 2025 as a Research Associate in the School of Law. She is part of the RESPECT project, which investigates opportunities and challenges for peatland restoration on agricultural land in England and Scotland. Within RESPECT, she works on Work Package 4: Policy and Practice for Peatland Transformations. The research under this WP aims to produce proposals for reform of laws, policies and governance to support a just transition to net zero that involves peatland restoration.

Miranda's expertise lies in environmental law, with a focus on agriculture, land, biodiversity, food systems, and human rights. In 2022, she completed a PhD at the University of Strathclyde on the topic of agroecology in international and EU law. Before that, she completed an LLM in Global Environment and Climate Change Law from the University of Edinburgh and an LLM in Private Law from the University of Leiden. Both degrees were recognised with awards for academic excellence.

Prior to her current role, Miranda built extensive experience in Scottish land governance and environmental policy. She worked as Land Governance Adviser at the Scottish Land Commission and as Policy Coordinator at the Scottish Crofting Federation. In these roles she led work on small-scale land use and land governance in the post-Brexit environmental and agricultural policy era, engaging directly with government, public bodies, and stakeholder networks across Scotland.

Miranda also provided legal consultancy services as an independent contractor and sub-contractor for international organisations including the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the European Commission. For example, in 2024, she wrote a Legislative Study on Biosafety Mainstreaming which is now part of the UN's Official Biosafety Technical Series. Miranda's consultancy work involved close collaboration with country representatives across the world and legal capacity-building activities.

Research interests

Miranda's research examines the role of environmental law and governance in equitable land-use and food systems transitions, with a particular focus on small-scale agriculture and agroecology, and inclusive land governance. This work seeks to explore opportunities and challenges in ensuring that environmental legal action to address the climate and nature crises is not only effective but also just and democratic, taking into consideration the rights, livelihoods and knowledge of the people and communities affected.

Drawing on experience across academia, policy, and advocacy, Miranda is committed to producing research that informs real-world policy-making and decision-making. Within the RESPECT project, she leads the drafting of policy outputs that integrate perspectives from across RESPECT's interdisciplinary team. Miranda also has a particular interest in knowledge exchange and collaborative research, and she continues to work closely with Scottish public and private partners to bridge gaps between research and practice.

Publications

List by: Type | Date

Prior publications

Conference Proceedings

Miranda Geelhoed, Jill Robbie (2026) Carbon rights in the context of Scottish peatlands under crofting tenure King’s College London, Workshop Adapting Private Law Miranda Geelhoed.

Conference item

Miranda Geelhoed (2026) Voluntary markets and public priorities for peatland restoration in Scotland University of Glasgow, Green Precarity Workshop Miranda Geelhoed.

Miranda Geelhoed (2025) Realising a just transition for agricultural peatlands in Scotland: governance barriers James Hutton Institute, Scotland's Land Reform Futures International Symposium Miranda Geelhoed.

Miranda Geelhoed (2022) Finding Agroecology at the Nexus Between Biodiversity and Human Rights Law. A Journey from PhD to Practice University of Strathclyde, X Anniversary Colloquium on Global Environmental Law and Governance of the University of Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance Miranda Geelhoed.

Miranda Geelhoed (2019) Law and Agroecology Montfort University, UK Agriculture Policy: Sustainability in Post-Brexit Britain Miranda Geelhoed.

Miranda Geelhoed (2018) Agroecology, Law and the Ecosystem Approach Queen's University Belfast, Sustainable Food Production Workshop Miranda Geelhoed.

Report

Hanna Wheatley, Simon Gibson-Poole, James MacKessack-Leitch, Miranda Geelhoed (2024) Rural Land Market Data Report Scottish Land Commission Miranda Geelhoed.

Elisa Morgera, Stephanie Switzer, Miranda Geelhoed (2019) Study for the European Commission on 'Possible Ways to Address Digital Sequence Information –Legal and Policy Aspects' University of Strathclyde.

Miranda Geelhoed (2019) Response to the Public Consultation on 'Environmental Principles and Governance in Scotland' Centre for Environmental Law and Governance - Policy Brief University of Strathclyde.

Annalisa Savaresi, Miranda Geelhoed (2019) EU Action and Scottish Ambition on the Environment Scottish Centre on European Relations Miranda Geelhoed.

Miranda Geelhoed (2019) Response to the Public Consultation on 'Good Food Nation Proposals for Legislation' Centre for Environmental Law and Governance - Policy Brief University of Strathclyde.

Miranda Geelhoed (2018) Response to the Public Consultation 'Developing an Environment Strategy for Scotland' Centre for Environmental Law and Governance - Policy Brief University of Strathclyde.

Elisa Morgera, Antonio Cardesa-Salzmann, Miranda Geelhoed, Mara Ntona (2017) Contribution of the EU Birds and Habitats Directives to Nature Protection in Scotland Centre for Environmental Law and Governance - Policy Brief University of Strathclyde.

Miranda Geelhoed, Elisa Morgera, Elsa Tsioumani (2017) Synthesis Report – National Desk Studies University of Strathclyde.

Antonio Cardesa-Salzmann, Malcolm M Combe, Miranda Geelhoed, Aileen McHarg, Maria Ntona, Colin T. Reid, Apolline Roger, Annalisa Savaresi, Francesco Sindico, Stephanie Switzer (2016) The implications of Brexit for environmental law in Scotland Scottish Universities Legal Network on Europe (SULNE) Miranda Geelhoed.

Elisa Morgera, Antonio Cardesa-Salzmann, Aileen McHarg, Miranda Geelhoed, Mara Ntona (2016) Rights protected under EU law concerning the environment Centre for Environmental Law and Governance - Policy Brief University of Strathclyde.

Miranda Geelhoed (2016) A Legal Perspective on the Value of Scotland's EU Membership for the Agro Environment Centre for Environmental Law and Governance - Policy Brief University of Strathclyde.

Elisa Morgera, Miranda Geelhoed (2016) The notion of 'Utilisation' in the Nagoya Protocol and the EU ABS regulation for the upstream actors University of Strathclyde.

Book

Miranda Geelhoed (2024) Biosafety Technical Series 06: Legislative Study on Biosafety Mainstreaming The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity Miranda Geelhoed. ISBN 9789292257064

Book Review

Miranda Geelhoed (2023) Brexit and Agriculture by Ludivine Petetin and Mary Dobbs, London, Routledge, 2022, 374 pp. European Journal of Risk Regulation Miranda Geelhoed. ISSN 2190-8249 (doi: 10.1017/err.2023.65)

Thesis

Miranda Geelhoed (2022) Agroecology and EU law: Finding potential for agroecology at the nexus between biodiversity law and human rights law Miranda Geelhoed.

(2013) Naar een Europees actierecht voor milieuorganisaties? Miranda Geelhoed.

Book Section

Miranda Geelhoed, Miranda Geelhoed (2022) Agroecology, GM crops, and the post-Brexit regulatory framework The Governance of Agriculture in Post-Brexit UK Miranda Geelhoed. ISBN 9781003010852 (doi: 10.4324/9781003010852)

Elisa Morgera, Maria Ntona, Miranda Geelhoed (2020) European environmental law Routledge Handbook of International Environmental Law University of Strathclyde. ISBN 9780367209247

Maria Gaglia Bareli, Miranda Geelhoed, Louisa Parks, Elisa Morgera, Elsa Tsioumani (2020) The unintended consequences of the Common Agricultural Policy for local communities Research Handbook on the Politics of EU Law Miranda Geelhoed. ISBN 9781788971270 (doi: 10.4337/9781788971287.00027)

Miranda Geelhoed, Maria Ntona (2018) Environmental Protection and Law Studying EU Law in Scotland during and after Brexit University of Strathclyde.

Article

Miranda GEELHOED (2016) Divided in Diversity: Reforming The EU’s GMO Regime Camb. Yearb. Eur. Legal Stud. Crossref Metadata Search. (doi: 10.1017/cel.2015.21)

Miranda Geelhoed (2015) Privaatrechtelijke handhaving door milieuorganisaties Tijdschrift voor Milieu & Recht University of Strathclyde.

working-paper

(2014) A Growing Impasse: The Future of the EU's GMO Regime SSRN Journal Miranda Geelhoed. (doi: 10.2139/ssrn.2524340)

Grants

Other funding

  • UoG College of Social Sciences funding (£1000,-) to host a PhD student for a Graduate School’s PGR Opportunities Hub internship.

Scholarships

  • University of Strathclyde: Student Excellence Award - PhD scholarship (2016-2021) - fees and stipend (4 years).
  • Prins Bernhard Cultuurfondsbeurs - LLM scholarship (2013-2014).
  • VSB Fonds - LLM scholarship (2013-2014).
  • University of Edinburgh - UK/EU Masters Scholarship (2013-2014).

Additional information

Awards

  • TB Smith Prize for the most distinguished scholar at the University of Edinburgh, School of Law (2014)
  • Piet Gilhuis Dissertation Prize for the best environmental law dissertation in the Netherlands (2015)