Ilja Richard Pavone has a degree in Political Science (110/110 cum Laude) at Sapienza University (Rome), and has gained his PhD in International Law and Human Rights at the same university.

He is Researcher of International Law at the National Research Council of Italy – CNR (Rome), and Professor of Environmental Law at Tuscia University (Viterbo). Currently, he is Visiting Scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law – MPIL (Heidelberg). He is member of the EU Non-Proliferation Consortium.

In the past, he has taught at the universities of Rome (Sapienza), Venice (Venice International University), Macerata and Siena. He has been visiting professor abroad several times (for instance at Queensland University, New York University, Bochum University).

He is author of several publications, essays and articles in International Law and European Union law, also focusing on Responsibility to Protect (R2P), human rights protection, disarmament and proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.