This fund established in the memory of Professor Karen
Knop is intended to support the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in hiring
student interns to conduct research into human rights
issues and assist in developing the Museum’s exhibitions and policy-based
initiatives. Gifts to the fund are invested in perpetuity and the income is
distributed to the Museum for this purpose.
Born in 1960 in Halifax, Professor Knop (“ka-nop”) was the daughter of the late Professor Osvald Knop and Helga Knop (Nørregaard). Garnering top prizes and scholarships throughout her studies, she earned a BSc and an LLB from Dalhousie University, an LLM from Columbia University, and an SJD from the University of Toronto (1990).
Karen joined the University of Toronto Faculty of Law in 1990 and quickly established herself as an esteemed teacher and colleague, as well as a leading voice in international law scholarship. Early in her career she won an undergraduate teaching award and, over the years, her mentoring of graduate students helped launch many careers. Her monograph, Diversity and Self-Determination in International Law, was recognized by the American Society of International Law with its prestigious Certificate of Merit in 2003. From her early success to her 2020 Hague Lectures – the ultimate honour for an international lawyer – Karen’s was a remarkable academic career.
A sought-after contributor, speaker and visitor, she was named one of the inaugural Max Planck Law Fellows and the Aatos Erkko Visiting Professor in Studies on Contemporary Society at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, and prior to her passing from cancer in 2022 was selected to give the prestigious Lauterpacht Lecture at Cambridge University.
Recognized internationally as a leading, cutting-edge scholar of public international and human rights law, Karen was a brilliant, eloquent writer and original thinker. Known for her intellect and generosity of spirit, Karen was beloved by students and colleagues around the world. Her cheerful demeanor, wide-ranging interests and lively wit led more than one colleague to say, simply, “Karen was the best of us.”
