Joseph (Joe) Finnerty is an Assistant Professor in European Human Rights Law at the Europa Institute, Leiden University. His primary research interest is the regulation of restrictions on rights and freedoms, particularly the purposes that are permitted or prohibited. In his research, Joe focuses on states undergoing processes of autocratisation and the role of human rights law in this context. His main focus is the European Court of Human Rights, but he regularly employs comparative legal methodologies in his work, drawing parallels with other international (human rights) courts as well as domestic constitutional courts.

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His work has appeared in renowned international journals such as the European Journal of International Law and the European Convention of Human Rights Law Review. He has further contributed multiple entries to The Companion to the European Convention on Human Rights.

Before joining Leiden University, Joe was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Academy for European Human Rights Protection (University of Cologne). He defended his PhD at the Hertie School (Berlin) and holds degrees in law (and history) from the University of Glasgow (LLB and PgDip) and Ghent University (LLM). He has further held visiting positions at the European University Institute, Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz and the University of Strasbourg.