Dr. David Nersessian is an Associate Professor of Law at Babson College, where he teaches Business Law and Public International Law and recently chaired the Faculty Senate Executive Committee. He earned his D Phil (PhD) in Law from Oxford University, where his research concentrated in public international law and human rights. He earned his JD magna cum laude from Boston University School of Law and his BSBA summa cum laude from Boston University School of Management.
Prior to completing his doctoral work, Dr. Nersessian practiced for six years with several large law firms, representing clients in complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts, administrative proceedings, and private arbitrations throughout the United States. He later spent five years as the vice president, trustee, and general counsel of an international educational nonprofit.
Before joining Babson, Professor Nersessian spent many years at Boston University in a variety of roles. He was Assistant Dean of Global Programs and a Senior Lecturer at the Questrom School of Business and both a Visiting Assistant Professor and Lecturer in Law at BU's School of Law. He also served as the founding Executive Director of Questrom's Susilo Institute for Ethics in a Global Economy. Prior to joining BU, he was Executive Director of Harvard Law School's Center on the Legal Profession and a Supreme Court Fellow at the US Supreme Court, where he worked for the Chief Justice's chief of staff. Before that he taught Criminal Law for St. Edmund Hall and St. Benet's Hall at Oxford University.
Dr. Nersessian's research concentrates on public international law, human rights, legal and business ethics, new technologies, globalization, and the management of legal and ethical risk in the corporate setting. His first book, Genocide and Political Groups was published by Oxford University Press in 2010. His second book, International Human Rights Litigation: A Guide for Federal Judges was published in early 2017. This book, which is a scholarly monograph on the Alien Tort Statute and related topics, was commissioned by the Federal Judicial Center to educate ~1,400 federal judges and magistrates nationwide on how to effectively hear and resolve human rights cases on their dockets. Prof. Nersessian also has taught international law subjects to federal judges on behalf of the Federal Judicial Center.
Professor Nersessian's current journal scholarship leverages his expertise in business law, ethics, and human rights to consider: (i) the ethical development of new technologies, (ii) the use of nonprofit business structures to force digital platforms to behave more responsibly, (iii) the application of big data and mathematical modeling techniques to redress modern slavery in the global supply chain, and (iv) the implications of Babson's Integrated Sustainability concepts for both higher education and corporate settings.