Prof. Shabalala’s research focuses on the interaction of intellectual property law, especially patent law, with the rights of indigenous peoples and climate change law. He conducts research on the rights of indigenous peoples and traditional communities to their traditional knowledge and culture and the role of international intellectual property treaties in enabling or preventing the realization of those rights.

Prof. Shabalala has published in several edited volumes, and has published a book “Climate Change, Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property – Options for Action at the UNFCCC”, Maastricht University (2014) available in print from Amazon and electronically. His reflections on his research and policy work can be found on his blog.

He has a partial appointment as Assistant Professor of International Economic Law (Intellectual property) at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. He teaches European and Comparative Intellectual Property at the Masters level and is a fellow in the Institute for Globalisation and International Regulation (IGIR) (www.igir.org). Prof. Shabalala was  Professor at the University of Dayton School of Law until 2023, Visiting Assistant Professor at CWRU School of Law from 2014 – 2017 and Assistant Professor of International Economic Law at Maastricht University from 2009 – 2014. He was also Managing Attorney of the Center for International Environmental Law’s Geneva office, and Director of CIEL’s Intellectual Property and Sustainable Development Project. He focused on issues at the intersection of intellectual property and climate change, human health, biodiversity and food security, as well as addressing systemic reform of the international intellectual property system. He is the Vice Chair of CIEL’s Board of Trustees.