Muhammad Bahrul Ulum

I am educated in Indonesia, India, and Australia. In 2011, I completed Sarjana Hukum (S.H. –Bachelor of Laws) at the University of Jember, Indonesia. My undergraduate thesis critically examines the regulatory framework of Indonesia's regional head elections and their way forward to endure the democratic process. This research was developed and published in a peer-reviewed journal entitled, "Pemilihan Kepala Daerah di Indonesia Setelah Reformasi: Kesinambungan dan Perubahan," in Undang: Jurnal Hukum Vol. 4:2 (2021). In 2015, I graduated Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Economic Law from Osmania University, India. My master's thesis critically analyses the membership of the European Union in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and its impact on the concept of legal personality. This monograph thesis was developed and published in a peer-reviewed journal entitled, "Constitutional Debate on European Union’s Shifting Pathway towards Supranationalism," in Lex Scientia Law Review Vol. 6:1 (2022). In 2023, I started doing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Agricultural and Food Law at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia My doctoral thesis critically evaluates the relationship between Indonesia's agricultural land use decision-making and the right to food. My literature review as part of this doctorate thesis submitted for the 6th Conference on Human Rights (2023) held by the University of Sydney was selected among the best papers entitled, "Mainstreaming of the Right to Food in Indonesia's Decentralised Context".

• Bachelor of Laws (S.H. –Sarjana Hukum) from the University of Jember, Indonesia (2007-2011)
• Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Economic Law from Osmania University, India (2013-2015)
• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Agricultural and Food Law at Queensland University of Technology, Australia (2023-2027)

INITIATIVES

• The Convenor of the International Symposium on Constitutionalism and Public Law (2021). This event was the first of its kind held by Lentera Hukum under the auspices of the University of Jember Faculty of Law. This symposium provided an avenue for scholars from the Global South countries (attended by speakers from Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, South Korea, and Spain) to disseminate their research with vibrant peer discussion.
• Editor-in-Chief at Lentera Hukum (2019-2023). This is a peer-reviewed law journal on the Global South which has gained steadfast improvement since his leadership. His rigorous management has presented breakthroughs to accelerate content quality and leverage the diversity of authorship which ultimately delivers it into the league table with a significant accreditation score nationally. This journal is now also available in some international databases, i.e., DOAJ, HeinOnline, and Scopus.
• The founder and the chairman at kawanhukum.id (2019). This web-based platform is dedicated to increasing the law literacy of internet users by providing a forum for writing and sharing their ideas in order to accommodate their insights and improve readers' legal awareness, particularly Y and Z Generations.
• The founder and the first Executive Director at Forum Kajian Keilmuan Hukum (2009). This Forum has pioneered the rigorous scientific community that emphasises critical thinking based at the Faculty of Law, University of Jember. Hitherto, this Forum has significantly contributed to the institutional reputation that places it as one of the leading law schools by students' achievements at the national level.

MENTORSHIPS

• The coach for Zaki Pambudi, Namira Hilda Papuani, dan Ramdhan Prawira Mulya Iskandar. They were the 1st winner of the writing competition at Jambi Law Fair 2020, with their paper entitled, "Optimalisasi Perancangan Omnibus Law sebagai Upaya Akselerasi Pertumbuhan Ekonomi di Indonesia: Analisis Penerapan Artificial Intelligence di Bidang Legislasi."
• The coach for Maulana Reyza A, M Irfan Dwi Syahroni, Muhammad Waliyam M. They attained the 1st winner of the writing competition at Constitutional Law Fest 2018, with their paper entitled, "Analisis Persyaratan Kriteria Hakim Konstitusi Pasal 15 ayat (1): Studi Perbandingan Indonesia, Taiwan, dan Afrika Selatan." 

ORGANISATIONS

• Secretary at LPDP Queensland (2023 - present)
• Advisory Board of Osmania University Journal of Intellectual Property Rights (2023 - present)
• Research and Publication Commission at Association of Indonesian Socio-legal Studies (2021 - present)
• Associate Editor at Human Rights in the Global South (2023 - present)
• Chairman at kawanhukum.id (2019 - present)
• Editor in Chief at Lentera Hukum (2019 - present)
• Associate Editor at Lentera Hukum (2017-2019)
• Chairman (acting) at Indonesian Student Association in India (PPI India) (2015)
• Deputy of the Chairman at Indonesian Student Association in India (PPI India) (2014)
• Executive Director at Forum Kajian Keilmuan Hukum (FK2H) Fakultas Hukum Universitas Jember (2009 - 2010)

Muhammad participated in some research training that developed his research skills. In 2018, he had a chance for the 3-month non-degree research training at Nagoya University, Japan to finalise his paper on Indonesia's biosafety framework of genetically modified crops supervised by Prof Yuzuru Shimada. This paper was published entitled, "Regulating Biosafety of Genetically Modified Crops in Indonesia: Limits and Challenges," in UUM Journal of Legal Studies Vol. 12:2 (2021). He also joined the 43rd Southeast Asia Seminar, the highly competitive research training held by Kyoto University, Japan from 7-14 November 2019 in Vietnam. This so-called term 'seminar' was a mixture of academic discussion and field research, including a direct visit and consultation with Vietnam's authorities and grassroots.

In addition, he has been involved in a number of engagements at the government both at the national and local levels. At the national level, he was among the team to research and draft the standard of the right to adequate housing in Indonesia, part of the Indonesia National Human Rights Commission initiatives. At the local level, he has experience in drafting numerous bylaws (firstly on empowering local workers, and secondly on preserving agricultural land to protect farmers) at Gresik Regency. He was also among the team to conduct a series of consultations as part of the task of drafting the human rights action plan at Bondowoso Regency.

• Standar Norma dan Pengaturan Nomor 11 tentang Hak atas Tempat Tinggal yang Layak

SCHOLARSHIPS 

• Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) Scholarship to pursue Doctor of Philosophy (2023-2027)
• Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Scholarship to pursue Master's Degree (2013-2015)

AWARDS

• Ambassador Awards for Excellence, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in New Delhi (2013)
• 2nd Winner of Student of the Year at the University of Jember (2011)
• 1st Winner of the Student of the Year at the Faculty of Law, University of Jember (2011)
• Padmo Wahjono Award, 1st Winner of the National Law Debate Competition held by the Faculty of Law, University of Indonesia (2010)
• Constitutional Award, 1st Winner of the National Writing Competition held by the Indonesian Constitutional Court (2009)

GRANTS

• The University of Jember Grant, examining the regulatory aspect of COVID-19 mitigation at the ASEAN level by examining to what extent each member state has addressed the issue (2021)
• The University of Jember Grant, revisiting ASEAN’s common interest through the lens of the national interest of its member states (2020)
• The University of Jember Grant, analysing legal and social responses to land conversion against food security in Jember, East Java (2019)
• Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) grant to conduct visiting research on regulatory framework of GM biosafety in Indonesia at Nagoya University (2018)

• 2023 - MB Ulum, The Mainstreaming of the Right to Food in Indonesia's Decentralised Context, hosted by the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre (University of Sydney) and Universitas Gadjah Mada (2023).
• 2022 - MB Ulum, Constitutionalism in Indonesia’s Religiously Divided Societies: Past and Present, the 2nd Asian Legal History Conference, hosted by the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University, the Asian Legal History Association, and CALS National University of Singapore Faculty of Law (2022).
• 2021 - MB Ulum, Partisipasi Publik, Media dan Pembentukan Undang-Undang, National Workshop on Constitutional Court Decision on Public Participation, hosted by the Center for Pancasila and Constitutional Studies, UNEJ Faculty of Law, 2021.
• 2019 - MB Ulum, MM Taufiqurrohman, Food Security and Land Conversion in Indonesia’s Decentralization Regime: A Narrative of Legal and Social Responses from Below, International Conference on Environmental Science and Sustainable Development, hosted by Faculty of Environmental Studies, Universitas Indonesia (2019).
• 2019 - MB Ulum, Democracy, Elections, and Political Parties After Two Decades of the Post-Authoritarian Regimes in Indonesia, 8th Asian Constitutional Law Forum (Asian Constitutional Law: Recent Developments and Trends) (2019).
• 2018 - MB Ulum, The Limits of Constitutionalism on Emergency Laws in Indonesia, Asian Symposium on Legal Pluralism: Limits of Law, Limits of Legality, hosted by the Faculty of Law, Universitas Indonesia (2018).
• 2018 - MB Ulum, Questioning Emergency Laws against Constitutionalism in Indonesia, International Conference on Human Rights in Southeast Asia, hosted by the Centre for Human Rights, Multiculturalism, and Migration (CHRM2) University of Jember in partnership with the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre (University of Sydney) (2018).
• 2017 - MB Ulum, NA Hamida, Debating Democracy and Asian Values: From the Notion of Integralist State to the Wave of Democratization in Contemporary Indonesia, the Indonesian Constitutional Court International Symposium: Constitutional Court, Ideology, and Democracy in Plural Society, hosted by the Indonesian Constitutional Court (2017).
• 2017 - MB Ulum, Constitutional Debate on Religion and Secularism in Indonesia and India, International Summer Conference: Human Rights in Southeast Asia, hosted by the Centre for Human Rights, Multiculturalism, and Migration (CHRM2) University of Jember (2017).