Merit E. Janow

Merit E. Janow, Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Practice, International Economic Law and International Affairs, Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), New York; former Member, Appellate Body from North America, World Trade Organization

Merit E. Janow is an internationally recognized expert in international trade and investment, with extensive experience in academia, government, international organizations, and business. She currently serves as the dean of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and has been a member of the Columbia University faculty for 19 years, teaching at SIPA and Columbia Law School. She has written several books and numerous articles, and frequently speaks before business, policy, and academic audiences around the world. Among other positions, Merit was elected in 2003 to serve for a four-year term as one of the seven members of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Appellate Body, and from 1997 to 2000 served as the executive director of the first international antitrust advisory committee of the U.S. Department of Justice that reported to the Attorney General and the Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust. Prior to joining Columbia’s faculty, Merit was the Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Japan and China (1989-93). Merit has a J.D. from Columbia Law School and a B.A. in Asian Studies from the University of Michigan. Among other positions, she serves on several technology and financial services boards and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission.