Mark Nevitt is an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. He is also an associate professor of Law with tenure at Emory University School of Law, where he joined the faculty in 2022. His research examines environmental law, particularly how climate change disrupts established legal frameworks and creates national security challenges.
Nevitt has taught at several institutions and has taught climate change law, constitutional law, environmental law, international law, national security law, and natural resources law. He was an associate professor at Syracuse University College of Law and Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Law at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. From 2017 to 2019, he served as the Sharswood Fellow and lecturer-in-law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
His scholarship has been published in leading law reviews including the Stanford Law Review, Vanderbilt Law Review, Washington University Law Review, Iowa Law Review, Yale Journal of Regulation, and Harvard Environmental Law Review, among others. He is a member of the Editorial Board for Lawfare, Journal of National Security Law and Policy, and Just Security, online forums where his work frequently appears. He was elected into the American College of Environmental Law in 2025.
Nevitt recently completed grant-funded research through the University of Pennsylvania's Kleinman Center examining the legal challenges of climate adaptation and managed retreat from coastal areas.
Before entering academia, Nevitt served in the United States Navy as both a tactical jet aviator and judge advocate general (JAG) attorney, retiring at the rank of Commander. As an aviator, he logged over 1,000 flight hours and completed more than 290 carrier-arrested landings aboard the USS Constellation (CV 64). As a Navy JAG, he worked as an environmental attorney, criminal defense attorney, international law attorney, and ethics attorney. He also served as senior legal advisor for the U.S. investigation into Iran's detention of U.S. sailors at Farsi Island and as a White House Military Social Aide. His military decorations include the Air Medal and four Meritorious Service Medals.
Nevitt, originally from Rhode Island, holds a B.S.E. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and both a J.D. and LL.M. (with distinction) from Georgetown University Law Center. Outside of his academic work, he enjoys spending time with his family, staying active through running and cycling, and exploring the coastal areas that feature prominently in his climate adaptation research.