Johan D. van der Vyver is the I.T. Cohen Professor of International Law and Human Rights in the School of Law of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States and an Extraordinary Professor in the Department of Private Law of the University of Pretoria in South Africa. He was formerly a Professor of Law at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education in South Africa. In the period 1995-1998 he also served as the Human Rights Fellow of The Carter Center. His current teaching obligations comprise Public International Law, International Human Rights, International Criminal Law, International Humanitarian Law, and a seminar on Comparative Bills of Rights and one on Implementation of International Law in the United States.

Prof. van der Vyver holds the degrees of Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Laws, Honours Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (Potchefstroom University); Doctor of Laws (University of Pretoria); and the Diploma of the International and Comparative Law of Human Rights (International Institute of Human Rights, Strasbourg). He was awarded the Doctor of Laws degree (honoris causa) by the University of Zululand in 1993, and the Doctor of Laws degree (honoris causa) by Potchefstroom University in 2003.

He is the author of eleven books and monographs and close to 300 chapters in books, law review and other articles, and book reviews. His research interests and publications include human rights, international criminal law and a great variety of other subject-matters.