Professor of Philosophy of Law. Teacher at the Department of Philosophy of Law and Politics and researcher at the Institute of Human Rights. Graduate and Doctor in Law from the Universitat de València Estudi General. She has been director of the University Institute of Human Rights at the University of Valencia (2005-2010) and Secretary General of the University (2010-2018).

Ph degree in Law (1986), six five-year teaching periods and six six-year research periods.

Her research deals with topics specific to the philosophy of law and human rights. Among them: interpretation and argumentation in human rights, social rights, equality and anti-discrimination law, immigration, law and gender perspective, access to justice, theory of law and legal argumentation.

In the research field, her doctoral thesis received the national prize for social and political theses from the Centre for Constitutional Studies in 1987. Her research deals with topics specific to the philosophy of law and human rights. Among them: interpretation and argumentation in human rights, social rights, equality and anti-discrimination law, immigration, law and gender perspective, access to justice, theory of law and legal argumentation. She is the author of articles in specialized journals, book chapters and monographs in the aforementioned thematic areas. She is the director of seven doctoral theses. She has been a member of numerous research projects, most notably: Consolider-Ingenio-2010: "The Age of Human Rights" (HURI-AGE) led by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and including 12 human rights research groups. Principal researcher of two projects on human rights, integration and global justice within the framework of the Prometeo programme for groups of excellence of the Generalitat Valenciana, she has also carried out her research within the framework of national R+D+I programmes since 1993 without interruption.

He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses at the University of Valencia in subjects related to the area of knowledge: theory of law, philosophy of law, legal sociology, legal argumentation and human rights since 1984. As well as teaching in the third cycle in masters and doctoral programmes in different Spanish and Latin American universities. Currently, he has a Master's Degree in Law, Business and Justice, a Master's Degree in Human Rights, Democracy and International Justice and a Master's Degree in Law and Gender Violence.

Doctoral Advisor of 11 Ph Thesis

Teaching innovation projects: Educational innovation in the double degree Administration and management of companies and law (2004-2008), Design of materials for interdisciplinary learning of the sources of law (2007-2011), Human rights and cooperative learning in the acquisition of generic competences (2012-2015), Promotion of the mainstreaming of human rights in the UV law degree (2022-2023)

She has directed the Journal Anuario de Filosofía del Derecho (2006-2015), Cuadernos Electrónicos de Filosofía del Derecho and is coordinator of the publication Teoría y Derecho. Revista de Pensamiento Jurídico, since 2007. She is a member of many editorial committees, participates in the evaluation of research projects of different agencies and has been a member of academic juries in the legal field.

Institutional responsibilities. Secretary of the Department of Philosophy of Law (1993-1998). Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Law (1998-2001). Director of the Human Rights Institute (2005-2010). Secretary General of the University of Valencia (2010-2018).

[Biography, english version]

[Biography, english version]

[Biography, english version]

[ Automatic translation ]

Ruth M. Mestre i Mestre, professor of philosophy of law and member of the Institut de drets humans of the University of Valencia, is a specialist in Feminist Theory of Law and forms part of the European Network of Experts in the field of Gender Equality.

She coordinated with S. Jonhsdotter the report FGM in Europe: An analysis of Court Cases, at the request of the European Commission (published by the European Commission-Directorate General-Justice (2016).

In addition, she has been lead researcher of the Project Democracy and political participation of women. A Critical comparison of new analysis and strategies, funded by the Ministry of Equality. She has also been main researcher  in the Spanish state of the DAPHNE project - EURONET, funded by the Daphne programme of the EU, to draw up plans of action against FGM.

Doctor in law by the Universitat de Valencia, she holds a master's degree in legal sociology from the International Institute of Juridical sociology of Oñati and a master's degree in theory of law by the Académie Européenne de Théorie du Droit, Brussels. He has been Marie Curie Fellow at the Centre for research in ethnic relations University of Warwick (UK). He has participated in numerous research projects in the Spanish state and in two Daphne projects (EU) on Mutilation/cutting Female Genitals in Europe.

Among his publications include the articles written together with Sara Johnsdotter, Court cases, cultural expertise and FGM in Europe, Studies in Law, Politics and Society, Vol 78, 2019, Special Issue Cultural Expertise and socio-legal studies (Austin Sarat, ed.) and FGM in Europe. Public discourse vs. empirical evidence, International Journal of Law, crime and Justice, 51, 2017. His books include La Caixa de Pandora. Introduction to feminist legal theory, PUV, 2006, and the coordination of two collective books: Women, rights and citizenship, Tirant lo Blanch, Valencia 2009 and, together with Yanira Zúñiga, Democracy and Women's political participation. Visions from Europe and Latin America, Tirant lo Blanch, 2013; Democracy and political participation of women. Critical study comparison of new analysis and strategies, Instituto de la Mujer, 2014, http://www.inmujer.gob.es/areasTematicas/estudios/estudioslinea2014/Home.htm; or  articles in edited books as 'The faces of prostitution in the Spanish state: between migration laws and the criminal code, in R. Osborne: sex workers. Rights, migration and traffic in the S. XXI, Ed. Bellaterra, 2004.

In the field of post-graduate teaching she is currently a professor at the Master in Human Rights, Democracy and Jusiticia International of the Facultat de dret of the Universitat de Valencia, the Master of Agents of Equality of the Universitat de Valencia and the Masters of the Equality of women and men of the University of the Basque Country. She has lectured also, by way of example, in the European Master of Human Rights (Venice, Italy), in the Phd in human Rights and Globalisation at the University Pablo de Olavide (Seville), or in the Course of specialization in human rights from the Andean University of Ecuador.

She has been Director of the Legal Clinic for Social Justice of the University of Valencia and vice-president of the European Network of Clinical Legal Education (ENCLE). She is currently Delegate of the Revice-rector in the field of diversity at the Universitat de Valencia

Full professor of Philosophy of Law and Politics. She is a professor at the Department of Philosophy of Law and Politics and a researcher at the Human Rights Institute (UV).

She is  Vice-Principal of  Lifelong Learning, Educational transformation and Employability. University of Valencia

She has been president of the Council for the Elimination of Racial or Ethnic Discrimination (2018 to 2020 Ministry of Equality), currently the president of the Forum for the Social Integration of Immigrants (Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration).

She has been Vice Dean of International Relations at the Faculty of Law (2010-2018), the director of the Department of Philosophy of Law and Politics (Facultat de Dret, 2019-2022) and is a member of the Faculty Board. As well as part of the Senate and the Statutes Commission (UV).

She has recognized five five-year teaching periods, four six-year research periods and one transfer six-year period.

She has participated in more than twenty teaching innovation projects and coordinates the Teaching Innovation in Human Rights (UV) project.

Her research addresses issues related to legal-political philosophy and human rights from the perspective of Spanish and comparative law on issues, among others, such as multicultural societies, immigration policies, citizenship, equality, the promotional role of Law, fundamental legal concepts, ODS and CSR. She is the author of various books and multiple articles in specialized national and foreign scientific journals. Among her works we can mention the monographs erechos y Culturas. Los retos de la diversidad en el espacio público y privado(autora, Tirant lo Blanch, Valencia, 2018); and Problems and proposals regarding the Common European Asylum System. The example of Greece (co-author, Tirant lo Blanch, Valencia, 2017). She has directed 8 doctoral theses.

She has participated in more than thirty international, national and regional research projects. She directs the I + D + i project PID2019-105018RB-100 "Racism and Discrimination: Human Rights under threat" of the Ministry of Science and Innovation. She has been part of the research team of the projects Consolider-Ingenio The time of rights (HURI-AGE), Ministry of Science and Innovation (CSD2008-00007) and Prometheus for groups of excellence (2010 and 2014) of the Generalitat Valenciana.

She belongs to the Comité Aviseur National et International du Center d’Études Ethniques des Universités Montréalaises (Canada). She was a member of the Technical Committee of the II National Human Rights Plan and was a member of the Advisory Committee of the Secretary of State for Immigration and Emigration (Ministry of Labor and Immigration). She collaborates as an evaluator in agencies such as ANEP, AGAE, AGAUR, DEVA and in the international program InterTalentum MSCA-COFUND.

She is director of the Anuario de Filosofía del Derecho (the oldest journal of this discipline in Spain) since 2018.

She has carried out research stays in centers of recognized international prestige in Paris, Milan, Brussels, Geneva, London, San Diego, Bucharest, Toulouse, Moscow and Montréal.