Dr. Iryna Ponomarenko

Biography

Iryna Ponomarenko joined the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan in July 2025 after years of practicing as a commercial litigator in Vancouver, BC. Her research explores key questions in Canadian public law, with a particular focus on judicial review of administrative action and the epistemology of legal fact-finding, as well as Charter adjudication. She is especially interested in the challenges courts face when adjudicating rights disputes under conditions of empirical and normative uncertainty. Ponomarenko examines ways in which consolidated litigation can improve access to justice. She has published multiple peer-reviewed articles in leading Canadian journals on constitutional law, administrative law, class actions, and legal philosophy. Her doctoral dissertation developed a theory of curial deference and proportionality analysis under Section 1 of the Charter. Before joining the College of Law, Ponomarenko taught Philosophy of Law and Criminal Law at the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University and volunteered at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees while serving on the editorial board of the UBC Law Review. Prior to moving to Canada, she practiced as a civil and commercial litigator in Kyiv, Ukraine. She is currently a member in good standing of the Law Society of British Columbia.

Research Interests