Murthy Named Faculty Co-Director of Center for Public Interest Advocacy and Collaboration

Professor Sharmila Murthy has been named faculty co-director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Public Interest Advocacy and Collaboration.

Murthy Named Faculty Co-Director of Center for Public Interest Advocacy and Collaboration

06.18.2025 —Professor Sharmila Murthy, an expert on examining legal and policy barriers to achieving environmental justice, improving access to water and addressing climate change, has been named faculty co-director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Public Interest Advocacy and Collaboration (CPIAC), which seeks to enhance the role of law and legal practice in achieving social, economic and environmental justice in all dimensions.

“I am delighted to begin working with Sharmila as a faculty co-director. Her expertise will allow us to expand our work in the area of environmental justice,  and we welcome her knowledge and acumen in our full slate of social justice projects and programs,” said Professor Lucy Williams, who has served as faculty director of CPIAC since its launch in 2017 and will continue to serve as faculty co-director.

Murthy joined the Northeastern Law faculty in 2023 but immediately went on leave to serve as director for environmental justice at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, where she previously served as senior counsel. In 2025, she returned to the faculty full time as professor of law and public policy within the School of Law and the College of Social Sciences. She has received many awards and honors. Most recently, her article, “Disrupting Utility Law for Water Justice,” published in the Stanford Law Review in 2024, was selected for inclusion in the 17th edition of the prestigious Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review (ELPAR). A joint publication of the Environmental Law Institute’s (ELI) Environmental Law Reporter and Vanderbilt University Law School, ELPAR identifies the year’s best academic articles that present legal and policy solutions to pressing environmental problems.

“I’m honored and thrilled to serve as a faculty co-director of the Center for Public Interest Advocacy and Collaboration,” said Murthy. “The team does tremendous work bridging the gap between academia and action to advance social justice and create meaningful change.”

About Northeastern University School of Law

The nation’s leader in experiential legal education since 1968, Northeastern University School of Law offers the longest-running, most extensive experience-based legal education program in the country. Northeastern guarantees its students unparalleled practical legal work experiences through its signature Cooperative Legal Education Program. More than 1,100 employers worldwide in a wide range of legal, government, nonprofit and business organizations participate in the program. With a focus on social justice and innovation, Northeastern University School of Law blends theory and practice, providing students with a unique set of skills and experiences to successfully practice law.

For more information, contact d.feldman@northeastern.edu.