Bandar ShanneikLawyer and Legal Scholar

Academic Research

My research explores how legal systems make decisions, interpret norms and respond to social and technological change.

Drawing on both professional legal practice and academic inquiry, I work across the fields of artificial intelligence and law, comparative legal studies, migration law and family recognition. A recurring theme in my work is the interaction between formal legal rules, institutional structures and human decision-making.

Current affiliation

Research FellowSOAS University of London

RELI-GENE

Affiliated with the RELI-GENE project, an ERC Consolidator Grant project led by Prof. Yafa Shanneik.

As a Research Fellow at SOAS University of London, I contribute to the ERC-funded RELI-GENE project, which explores the relationship between religion, gender, and family relations in transnational settings. My research examines the legal treatment of cross-border family relationships under German, English, and UAE law, with a particular focus on recognition, migration, and the interaction between religious norms and state legal systems.

Peer-Reviewed Articles and Book Chapters

  • 2027
    Who Counts as a Family in Europe: Polygamous Refugees and the Boundaries of Recognition (in prep.)

    Together with Yafa Shanneik & Merna Aboul-Ezz · Journal of Law and Society

  • 2026
    'Forced Divorce': Syrian Refugees and the Act to Combat Child Marriage in Germany (in print)

    Together with Yafa Shanneik & Schirin Vahle · In P. Berta (ed.), Politics of Marriage and Gender: Global Issues in Local Contexts · Rutgers University Press

Professional Publications