Merit Janow
Merit E. Janow is an internationally recognized expert in international trade and investment, with extensive experience in academia, government, international organizations, and business. She is Dean of the Faculty and a Professor of Practice in International Economic Law & International Affairs at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and affiliated faculty at Columbia Law School. As Dean, she has launched a major initiative around technology and policy, and initiated new research and programs around the digital economy, cyber security, and internet governance. Janow has had three periods in government service: in December 2003, Janow was elected for a four-year term as one of the seven Members of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Appellate Body – the first female to serve as a judge on the Geneva based appellate body, which hears government to government disputes on economic issues. From 1997 to 2000, she served as the Executive Director of the first international antitrust advisory committee of the U.S. Department of Justice. Prior to joining Columbia’s faculty, she was Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Japan and China (1989-93), responsible for all bilateral trade negotiations between the United States and both Japan and China. She negotiated more than a dozen trade agreements. She has written two books and numerous articles. Janow is on the Board of Directors of several companies in financial services and technology and several not-for-profit organizations such as MasterCard, the American Funds, and the National Committee on United States-China Relations. She was raised in Tokyo, Japan and speaks Japanese.
Biography current as of September 25, 2018