"Janine was a vivacious, life-affirming presence in the Law School, a constantly smiling face, a deeply caring and supportive colleague. We feel her loss profoundly, but are sustained by the wonderful memories we retain of her," Head of School, Professor Ken Oliphant.

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Dr Janine Sargoni, a valued colleague and a beloved friend. Janine left us on the 11th of June, after a two-year-long battle with cancer.

Janine was a very active member of the Law School for over 10 years, joining as a mature postgraduate student in 2008, and undertaking doctoral research from 2010 to 2014, before being appointed to the position of Lecturer in Law in 2014. In total, she obtained three degrees in Law from Bristol (LLM, MSc and PhD) to add to her BA (Hons) in Theology with Music from the University of Surrey. In the intervening years, she qualified as a lawyer and practised as a solicitor in a Bristol firm specialising in housing and immigration issues.

Janine’s research was theoretically sophisticated and of considerable contemporary relevance. She explored the regulation of geoengineering research and its legitimacy, providing an important contribution to both environmental law scholars and the socio-legal community. She was a champion of interdisciplinary research and had a passion for how legal frameworks are needed to work alongside new technology to find equitable and sustainable solutions. Her scholarly work was always rigorous and driven by intellectual curiosity and a willingness to share ideas and knowledge. She loved collaborating with others and made it fun for them to work with her.

Janine’s dedication to her academic role was apparent not only in her research but also in the demanding administrative roles she performed with commitment and integrity, as well as in her innovative teaching methods and the caring support she provided for her students. Outside Bristol, she served on the Executive Committee of the national Socio-Legal Studies Association and was joint organiser (with Dr Devyani Prabhat) of the Association’s annual conference in 2018, hosted in the Law School.

In short, Janine was a wonderful academic citizen and a hugely promising researcher who had already planted the seeds for a fruitful academic career that has unfortunately now been cut short.

We will all remember Janine for her warmth, humour, intellectual openness, collaborative spirit, concern for others and genuine altruism.

Her interest in environmental matters was translated in a love for all things outdoors, from swimming in Henleaze Lake during the winter months, to cycling, to staring at the trees in her garden and listening to the sounds of nature in the last months of her life.

We will miss her not only as a colleague but also as a person and friend, and her welcoming smile will always stay in our memories.