University of Baltimore School of Law
Office Details
Education
Ph.D., University of Arizona, School of Geography and Development
M.Sc., University of Oxford, School of Geography and Development
J.D., University of California College of the Law, San Francisco
B.A., University of Michigan
Areas of Expertise
Environmental Law
Climate Change
Water Governance
Energy Regulation
Property
Biography
Sonya Ziaja is an assistant professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law. She teaches Environmental Law; Climate Adaptation, Law and Equity; Water Law; Energy Law; Administrative Law; and Property. Before coming to University of Baltimore, she worked in energy regulation at the California Public Utilities Commission and was the research lead for the Water, Energy, Climate Nexus at the California Energy Commission. She is a recipient of the 2024-2025 Pace .
Ziaja’s research interests focus on the overlapping areas of environmental governance and law, technology and society: How can environmental law and institutions sustainably adjust to rapidly changing bio-geophysical conditions and societal demands associated with climate change? And with what consequences for equity and democratic participation? Her approach to these questions draws on her interdisciplinary background in geography, water governance, as well as her practical knowledge of energy regulation.
Ziaja’s scholarship has appeared in Georgetown Law Journal, Ecology Law Quarterly, and Arizona State Law Journal, among other law reviews and peer reviewed journals. Her article, “How Algorithm Assisted Decision Making Is Influencing Environmental Law and Climate Adaptation” was chosen by peer review as among the top five leading environmental and natural resources law articles in 2022 and was selected to appear, condensed and reprinted, in the 2023 Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review.
Ziaja holds a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Arizona, M.Sc. in Water Science, Policy and Management from the University of Oxford, and J.D. from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco.