Mr John J Vachaparambil, a lawyer by profession completed his BA-LL.B (Hons) from Christ University, Bangalore. He completed his LL.M in Infrastructure and Business Law from Teri School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi, and a certificate course on ‘Oceans Law and Policy’ from Gujarat Maritime University. He was also nominated by the NMF to participate in the ‘EEZ Protection Officers Course’ held by the Royal Navy, UK in New Delhi.

On the work front, he started his career as a Junior Legal Researcher in a law firm in Kerala and moved on to work as a Junior Advocate in a real estate firm in Bangalore. He is currently working as Associate Fellow in the Public International Maritime Law cluster of the National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi.

He has published numerous articles on wide range of topics including Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), IUU Fishing, Conservation and Protection of Marine Habitats and Biological Diversity, Safety of Fishing Vessels, among others.

He also actively participates in international and national conferences to provide Indian perspectives on various maritime issues, specifically focusing on non-traditional maritime security threats.

He also gets invited to provide expert opinions on SDGs, and guest lectures on various maritime issues, including environment audit perspectives. He has participated in training capsules for Indian Naval Officers, and IFS Officers (trainees).

He has also edited a Special Issue Journal (UNCLOS at 40), and two books (Maritime Perspectives) at the NMF.

• Public International Maritime Law
• International Environmental Law
• Legal facets of IUU Fishing
• Legal aspects of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction
• Legal aspects and interface-structures of the IMO’s legal committee
• Legal facets of climate change
•  Legal aspects of ocean governance in the Polar regions

• Associate Fellow, National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi (since September 2021)
• Former Junior Advocate, MBR Homes Pvt Ltd. Bangalore, Karnataka (August 2018 to June 2019)
• Former Junior Legal Researcher, Jayashankar and Manu Associates, Kochi, Kerala (November 2017 to March 2018)

• Diploma, 12^th Yeosu Academy of the Law of the Sea, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (RoK), and Korea Maritime Institute (KMI), Yeosu, Republic of Korea (Oct 2025).
• Certificate Course, Exclusive Economic Zone Protection Officers Course, Royal Navy, UK (2024).
• Certificate Course, Oceans Law and Policy, Gujarat Maritime University, Ahmedabad (2022)
• LLM, Infrastructure and Business Law (Super Specialisation – Sustainable Marine and
  Offshore Infrastructure Governance) – TERI School of Advanced Studies (SAS), New Delhi (2021)
• BA-LLB (Hons), Christ University, Bangalore, Karnataka (2017)

• Presented on ‘Climate-Change-Induced Migration of Fish Stocks: Legal Implications for India’ during the 48^th Annual Conference on Oceans Law & Policy (COLP 48), co-organised by the GMU, WMU, and US Naval War College at Hotel Ashok, New Delhi, Sept 2025.
• Presented on Coral Reefs and Marine Protected Areas: Challenges and Opportunities for India during the National Training Programme on ‘Climate Change with reference to Marine Ecosystems, Biodiversity Loss and Marine Pollution’ at the International Centre for Environmental Audit and Sustainable Development (iCED), Jaipur, Jan 2025.
• Presented on IUU Fishing in the IOR: Legal Implications for India at the Indo-Pacific Forum 2024 held online by the Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE), Nepal, Dec 2024.
• Presented on Coral Reefs and Protected Areas: Challenges and Opportunities for Conservation at the Workshop on ‘Blue Economy: Audit of Marine Fisheries and Ecosystem Conservation Measures’ at International Centre for Environment Audit and Sustainable Development (iCED), Jaipur, Aug 2024.
• Presented on Coastal Inundation and Salinisation Implications Upon Coastlines, Baselines and Maritime Zones at the 2nd NMF-KAS Symposium Addressing ‘Climate Change Induced Threats to National and Regional Holistic Maritime Security in the Indo-Pacific (Including Maritime Crime, Terrorism, and State-on-State Conflict)’ at the National Maritime Foundation (NMF), New Delhi, Aug 2023.
• Presented on the Maritime Diplomacy-Perspectives from India at the Workshop on the ‘Delimitation of International Maritime Borders: Disputes, Challenges, and Solutions in a Comparative Perspective’ at University of Haifa, Israel, Dec 2022.