Press release: Honour for agricultural law expert

No. 87 - 22.06.2026

Professor José Martinez awarded an honorary doctorate by Universidad Santo Tomás

Professor José Martinez, an expert in agricultural law at the University of Göttingen, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the Universidad Santo Tomás in Bogotá, Colombia. The Universidad Santo Tomás has thus recognised his long-standing contributions to academic collaboration between the law faculties of the two universities, in particular his commitment to institutional cooperation, his extensive research and teaching activities within this, and his ongoing teaching at the Faculty of Law of the Universidad Santo Tomás since 2006. In addition, his work at the German-Colombian Peace Institute CAPAZ, founded in 2016, which promotes peace and reconciliation in Colombia, was also recognised.

At the award ceremony at the University Santo Tomás, the University’s rector, Fray Mauricio Cortés Gallego, emphasised the central importance of agrarian law for the peace process in Colombia and worldwide, as numerous conflicts stem from unresolved problems in rural areas, which are often characterized by limited state presence: Martínez’s work is not confined to a purely academic analysis of these challenges, but also encompasses providing practical advice to the vulnerable groups affected and raising awareness of the problems they face.

Martinez studied law at the University of Göttingen and the Spanish National Distance Education University (UNED) in Madrid. He was awarded his PhD in 1995 at the University of Göttingen, where he also completed his habilitation in 2004. Following various posts at the universities of Dresden, Nanjing, Konstanz, Frankfurt am Main, Potsdam and Bogotá, he accepted a position at the University of Göttingen in 2012. There, he holds the Endowed Professorship in Agricultural Law and Public Law, is Executive Director of the Institute for Agricultural Law, Director of the Institute for Public Law and Director of the German-Chinese Institute for Legal Studies.

Contact:

Professor José Martinez

University of Göttingen

Faculty of Law

Institute for Agricultural Law

Tel: +49 (0)551 39-27415

Email: iflr@jura.uni-goettingen.de