Riad Mahmud is an international law researcher and Senior Law Lecturer at East West University, Bangladesh, specialising in cooperation, governance, and transboundary accountability. He teaches Public International Law, Laws of International Organisations, and International Laws on Refugees. He is also an Advocate at the Dhaka Bar Association. 

He is an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s graduate in International Law of Global Security, Peace, and Development (ILGSPD), having studied at the University of Glasgow, IBEI, and Radboud University.

Riad’s research focuses on coercive measures under international law, democratic backsliding, global governance and international cooperation. His recent work explores pre-election targeted sanctions through TWAIL and examines the impacts of the Global Magnitsky Sanctions in Bangladesh. His scholarship explores how international law serves as a tool for cooperation, coercion, and power imbalances, and how it regulates cooperation.

He has contributed to applied, policy-oriented research through collaborations with the Radboud University Law Clinic on fair recruitment standards for labour migrants, USAID-supported justice reform initiatives, and comparative legal research on Belt and Road countries covering trade, investment, labour, environmental governance, and dispute settlement. His publications span international law, labour governance, energy regulation, environmental law, and transboundary accountability.

Beyond research, Riad promotes international legal scholarship and practice through mooting. He served as a National Administrator for ‘Jessup Bangladesh’ and now advises the Bangladesh chapter of the International Law Students Association (ILSA). 

As Thematic Editor for International Cooperation & Governance at POLIscope Institute, Riad aims to advance rigorous, accessible research that bridges legal scholarship and real-world governance.