The 2025 Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler Award Winner Best LL.M. Thesis in International Arbitration

The MIDS (Master in International Dispute Settlement) program - widely recognized as a top LL.M.-equivalent in international arbitration and dispute resolution - proudly announces the winner of the 2025 Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler Award, honoring the best thesis of the academic year.

An award honoring a visionary legacy

Established in 2024 by the MIDS Committee, the Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler Award (GKK Award) honors Professor Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler (external link)'s visionary leadership in founding the MIDS program and her enduring commitment to its excellence. Each year, the award is presented to the most outstanding LL.M. thesis submitted by a member of the graduating cohort, in the field of international dispute settlement, recognizing:

  • Academic rigor
  • Originality of thought
  • Depth of legal analysis
  • Relevance to international arbitration and investment law

2025 GKK award winner: Giovanna MARTINS SANTANA

We are thrilled to announce that Giovanna MARTINS SANTANA (external link) has received the 2025 Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler Award for her thesis:  

Public Interest in International Commercial Arbitration Involving States and State Entities Supervised by Professor Eduardo Silva Romero (external link)

Her work explores the intersection of public interest and commercial arbitration, offering fresh insights into how state involvement shapes arbitral proceedings. This topic is especially relevant for practitioners and scholars in investment arbitration LL.M. programs and those focused on state-entity disputes in international commercial arbitration.

Finalists: Top MIDS theses in Dispute Settlement

Three other finalists were recognized for their exceptional contributions to the field:

These theses reflect the intellectual depth and global relevance that define MIDS as one of the best LL.M. programs in Europe for international arbitration.

Bridging Private Arbitration and Public Accountability – “Public Interest in International Commercial Arbitration Involving States and State Entities” by Giovanna MARTINS SANTANA

This thesis, selected as one of the best LL.M submissions at CIDS/MIDS, explores a critical and underexamined frontier in international commercial arbitration: the growing presence of States and State-owned enterprises (SOEs) in a traditionally private dispute-resolution forum. As public actors increasingly engage in cross-border contracts, they bring with them non-waivable duties, mandatory norms, and public-interest concerns that challenge the conventional paradigm of party autonomy, confidentiality, and limited judicial oversight. Through a comparative analysis of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Brazil, the thesis demonstrates that while each jurisdiction protects public interest differently - via narrowed arbitrability, mandatory regimes, or constitutional constraints - they converge on the need for tribunals to engage transparently with public-law norms. The proposed three-step method-identification, justification, and proportionality-offers a principled framework for arbitrators to write awards that are review-resistant, publicly intelligible, and legally enforceable. Ultimately, the thesis argues that public interest is not a threat to arbitration's legitimacy, but a call for better reasoning. When tribunals "show their work," they preserve efficiency while reinforcing trust in arbitration's capacity to handle disputes with public consequences.

Explore more about one of the top LL.M. Master's in Dispute Settlement and Arbitration: the MIDS program (external link)  offers rigorous training in investment treaty arbitration (external link), international commercial arbitration (external link) , the law of international commercial contracts, (external link) and state-to-state dispute settlement  (external link) preparing graduates for impactful careers across law firms, international organizations, and academia.