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While she has only just arrived at Queen’s, PhD candidate Ksenia Polonskaya is already looking forward to an opportunity outside the university.

Shortly after coming to Queen’s to further her studies with the Faculty of Law, Ms. Polonskaya was informed that she was one of 28 students across Canada to receive the Graduate Scholarship in International Law from the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), a think-tank based in Waterloo, Ont.

Originally from Russia, Ms. Polonskaya’s area of study is international investment law, a field that she says remains undeveloped. That’s the attraction, she explains.

“I didn’t want to repeat something. I wanted to say something new. That’s why I chose this field,” she says. “I love it so far. It could be really, really interesting.”

She adds that while other areas of law are well developed, for international investment law there remains much room for study, including how to apply methodology from different psychological or sociological fields.

With the $24,000 scholarship, Ms. Polonskaya will spend the summer in Waterloo and will have the opportunity to exchange ideas with the other recipients as well as researchers with CIGI and faculty at the University of Waterloo’s Balsillie School of International Affairs.

The prospect of interacting with these professionals and scholars excites Ms. Polonskaya the most.

“Some of them have been working with the World Trade Organization, they were representatives of Canada in the Uruguay Round, and I was really interested in working with these people. They also invite a lot of Canadian and European scholars to take part in their conferences and activities in international law and governance,” she explains. “So it will be a real interesting several months just to talk with those people and listen to what they are saying because they develop policy in international law and international organizations as well. I’m excited.”

And while she is new to Queen’s, having completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto, she is quickly becoming comfortable at her new school.

“I really like it so far,” she says. “It’s like home away from home because everyone here is so nice.”

The International Law Research Program at CIGI is a 10-year, $60 million initiative jointly funded by CIGI and Ontario’s Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. The program focuses on international economic law, international intellectual property law and international environmental law.