Research assistant
Institute of Maritime Law
Southampton University
Job advertised in The Times Higher, March 12
Former Swedish junior judge Johanna Hjalmarsson is delighted to be working alongside some of the best maritime lawyers in the world at Southampton University.
It is the fulfilment of a dream. "I really love ships and being close to the sea. It's always been a passion," she said.
Her appointment as research assistant at the Institute of Maritime Law comes as a welcome break from public law. "This is a career restart. I got fed up with being a civil servant," she said.
"Maritime law is unusual and unique because it is very international in the way it covers trade and shipping. It is quite a challenge."
After her stint as a junior judge in Sweden, Ms Hjalmarsson went to Vienna to work with the United Nations.
Her next move was to Bosnia to work for "an international organisation". "I love Sarajevo," she said. "It's one of the safest cities I've been in."
Ms Hjalmarsson moved to Southampton to take her law masters. She then applied for the job of research assistant and got it. "After being landlocked, it's good to be close to the sea again."