Jessica Tselepy works in reconceptualizing and reforming the treatment of non- human animals in both national legislation and international instruments. She has previously received the Animal Law Advocates Advanced Degree Scholarship to complete the LLM in Animal Law at Lewis & Clark Law School (Center for Animal Law Studies) in 2022/23. She has also completed a Juris Doctor at Bond University with First Class Distinction (specializing in International Law), a Bachelor of Arts (International Relations and Psychology) at The University of Queensland, and completed her practical legal training with the RSPCA Queensland Prosecutions Team.
She has worked on legal research projects for the Global Animal Law Association, the World Federation for Animals, and the Global Research Network Think Tank (Animals & Biodiversity Think Tank Programme). She has also worked as a Research Fellow at Deakin University, a Teaching Associate at Monash University, a Research Assistant at the University of Melbourne, and a Visiting Researcher at the Helsinki Animal Law Centre (University of Helsinki) and the Animal Legal Education Initiative (ALEI) (George Washington University), all focusing on animal law research and teaching topics.
Jessica is currently completing her PhD at the University of Melbourne (Melbourne Law School). Her thesis examines a ‘more-than-commodity’ conceptualization of non-human animals in the WTO regime and how nations can implement measures, such as live export bans, which legitimately restrict the international trade of farmed non-human animals. Her PhD supervisors are Professor Christine Parker, Professor Katy Barnett, and Dr Hope Johnson.
Her recent animal law publications include:
- The Cambridge Handbook of One Health and the Law: Chapter 10. One Health Among Many, Cambridge University Press · Oct 1, 2025
- The Living Stock of Antiquity: Examining Conceptualizations of Non-human Animals as Tradable Commodities in the Ancient World, The Global Journal of Animal Law · Jul 4, 2024
- For Whose Sake and Benefit? A Critical Analysis of Leading International Treaty Proposals to Protect Nonhuman Animals, The American Journal of Comparative Law · Jun 17, 2024
- Belly Up: How Corporate Interests Are Keeping an Unsustainable Tasmanian Aquaculture Afloat and Failing to Protect the Welfare of the Nonhuman Animals Affected, Journal of Animal Ethics · Apr 1, 2023
To learn more about her recent work, see her following guest appearances:
- GW Law: International Disputes in Animal Law: Dynamics of Global Conflict Cooperation Webinar, Oct 2025
- ABA International Animal Law Committee: International Industrial Animal Agriculture Laws and Practices: Australia, Nepal, and South Korea, Sep 2025
- Helsinki Animal Law Centre Seminar: an examination of the legality of measures which restrict the trade of farmed non-human animals within the World Trade Organization (WTO) regime, May 2025