Jelena Bäumler studied law with a focus on international law at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich. She completed her legal clerkship at the Court of Appeal in Berlin with stations at the German Foreign Office, WTIAdvisors in Geneva and GIZ in Monrovia, Liberia. In February 2013, she completed the 2nd state exam as the best in her exam class.

Subsequently, Jelena Bäumler received her doctorate with a thesis on the prohibition of damages in international law (summa cum laude) with a doctoral scholarship from the Studienstiftung at the University of Potsdam and worked as a research assistant at the chair of Prof. Dr. Andreas Zimmermann, LL.M. (Harvard). In April 2015, she accepted an appointment to a W-1 Junior Professorship in Public Law, International and European Law at the University of Rostock. In July 2019, Jelena Bäumler was appointed to the professorship of Public Law and International Law with a focus on sustainability at Leuphana University Lüneburg.

Jelena Bäumler’s research focuses on international law as well as public law, environmental and climate law. A particular focus of her work is on international business law and its compatibility with other areas of international law, such as environmental and climate law and human rights. Currently, Ms. Bäumler is researching in particular on issues of an international sustainability law. She is co-editor of the European Yearbook of International Economic Law (EYIEL) and Climate and Klima und Recht KlimR.

Jelena Bäumler is director at the Europa-Kolleg in Hamburg. She directs the Erasmus Mundus program International Law of Global Security, Peace and Development and is the spokesperson for the Joachim Herz PhD program on Transformation and Law. In July 2022, she was elected Vice President of Leuphana University Lüneburg (College Division). In addition, Jelena Bäumler regularly advises states before international courts such as the International Court of Justice, the CERD Committee or an ICSID Tribunal.