Chinonso Anozie
Assistant Professor of Law
July 15, 2025 – University of Houston Law Center Assistant Professor Chinonso Anozie was recently selected as one of nine participants to present at the Coleman P. Burke Center for Environmental Law at Case Western Reserve University’s second Junior Faculty Workshop. The presenters were selected based on their scholarly work in progress, past accomplishments and future promise.
Anozie’s work, titled “Beyond the Ideology of Renewables” was presented in front of a panel of senior faculty including Jonathan Adler and Victor Flatt, professors at Case Western Reserve Law School; Carol Rose, an emeritus professor at Yale Law School; Wendy Wagner, a professor at the University of Texas Law School; Marcilynn Burke, dean of Tulane Law School and Hari Osofsky, dean of Northwestern Law School.
“My scholarship focuses on addressing challenges within the energy and environmental sector that reduce the barriers disadvantaged communities face in accessing energy justice,” said Anozie. “This project explores how partisan gridlock hinders the development of regulatory structure that drives renewable energy infrastructure [and highlights] the economic and community benefits of renewable energy.”
The paper, still in development, sparked interest amongst the panel. “I received generous feedback that strengthened the scholarship, and I look forward to diving back in and finishing the project,” he said.
The research aligns with Anozie’s mission as both a scholar and an educator. He was recruited as part of UH’s Presidential Frontier Faculty initiative to reach top scholars around the globe. Currently, Anozie is augmenting his research at UHLC’s Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Center.
“The [EENR] has been pivotal in enhancing my research and scholarship,” Anozie said. “It provides resources and collaboration that support and enrich my scholarship [and] there is also collaborative engagement with other members of the center, which often sheds light on innovative research areas that further serve the university and the local Houston community.”
In the classroom, Anozie teaches courses covering property law, environmental law, energy and climate law, and global environmental justice. His teaching philosophy includes engaging students in collaborative problem-solving.
“[I have] the rare opportunity to engage with students and collaborate with them to find innovative solutions to legal problems,” he said. “The chance I have to make an impact on the next generation of lawyers is truly fulfilling.”
In addition to his scholarship and teaching, Anozie serves on the Association of American Law Schools’ section for Natural Resources and Energy Law and is a trustee at large for the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law.
Anozie received his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Nigeria in 2010 before moving to the U.S. He later became a top graduating student from the University of Oklahoma College of Law where he received his Master of Laws in Energy and Natural Resources. In 2024, Anozie completed his Doctor of Juridical Science at the SMU Dedman School of Law.
The first Junior Scholar workshop, held last year, led to participants producing several high-quality law review articles, gaining distinguished placements in the Harvard Environmental Law Review, the Utah Law Review, and the Alabama Law Review. The workshop is designed for law school pre-tenured faculty and fellows who are currently pursuing teaching careers in Environmental Law, Energy Law, Climate Law, or Natural Resources Law.
Q&A with Chinonso Anozie
How did you get interested in law?
CA: I ventured into law because I have always been interested in defending human rights causes, although I ultimately became an energy and environmental scholar. Having witnessed energy poverty firsthand as a child, I am deeply interested in finding innovative solutions to combat energy poverty and help communities benefit from it.
What keeps you inspired about your work?
CA: What inspires me about my work is knowing that I can make a difference in the lives of aspiring lawyers, knowing that my teaching will provide them with an avenue to make a positive impact in the world.
Who is your role model/inspiration?
CA: My father has always been my role model and inspiration because he believed in the promise of education and the value of sheer hard work and grit. In his words, “Perspiration never fails to bring valuable results. It leads to success.”
What is something people will be surprised to learn about you?
CA: I grew up in a family that loved farming. We cultivated various crops, including cassava and palm trees on a large scale, and ventured into animal husbandry with goats and chickens. That being said, I know how to farm.
Do you have any advice to share with UHLC students?
CA: Hard work pays off; you do not have to be a genius. All you need is commitment, consistency, and grit. You will be fine.
