Nicole LaViolette, B.A. (Honours) (Carleton), LL.B. (Ottawa), LL.M. (Cantab.), of the Ontario Bar, was Full Professor of Law at the University of Ottawa where she taught public international law, international humanitarian law, conflicts of laws and family law. Her research and publications were devoted mainly to international human rights, international humanitarian law, and the rights of refugees. She focused a significant part of her scholarly research on sexual minorities and the refugee determination system. She was also interested in transnational family law, and in 2014, she co-authored a book on the legal rights and obligations of cyclists under Canadian law.Prior to joining the law faculty, Prof. LaViolette worked as a legislative assistant in the House of Commons of Canada and collaborated with both governmental and nongovernmental organizations specializing in human rights. She was a law clerk at the Federal Court of Appeal of Canada before completing a graduate degree at Cambridge University.