Dr Jennifer Maddocks
Lecturer in International and Operational Law
Areas of interest
Jennifer Maddocks specialises in international law, with a particular focus on the law relating to military operations. Her research and teaching interests include the law of armed conflict, the law on the use of force, the law of state responsibility, and international criminal law.
Jennifer’s monograph, Attribution of Non-State Actor Conduct During Armed Conflict (OUP, 2026), examines when harmful conduct by armed groups and other non-state actors is attributable to a state under international law, meaning that the state is responsible for the damage or injury caused. She is also the co-editor (with Douglas Guilfoyle) of Armed Conflict and International Law in the Indo-Pacific Region (OUP, 2026). In addition to these book-length projects, she has authored articles for law journals and book chapters for edited collections.
Teaching
Jennifer teaches on the following modules:
- Public Law 1 (UG)
- Introduction to International Law (PG) (Module convenor)
- Contemporary Issues in International Law (PG) (Module convenor)
Research centres and groups
Background
Jennifer Maddocks joined the University of Reading School of Law in January 2026 as a Lecturer in International and Operational Law. She was previously an Assistant Professor in the Department of Law at the United States Military Academy, West Point, and a Faculty Fellow with the Lieber Institute for Law and Warfare. In that role, she served as Managing Editor for the Lieber Institute’s electronic publication, Articles of War. Prior to joining West Point, Dr. Maddocks served for over thirteen years as an officer in the British Army Legal Services, gaining considerable operational experience including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. She is co-editor in chief of the Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies.
Academic qualifications
PhD (University of Reading), LLB (Hons) (University of Birmingham).