Clare Frances joined Aberdeen Law School in 2022 as a lecturer in public international law, with a focus on international criminal law. Her research interests lie in the related areas of international criminal law, international humanitarian law, and international human rights law, with a focus on the application of legal theory to these areas. 

Clare Frances' work has been funded by the Clark Foundation in Legal Education, the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland and the iCourts Centre for Excellence at the University of Copenhagen. She has held a number of visiting positions at a number of international institutions, including Columbia Law School and the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law, and is a listed Assistant to Counsel at the International Criminal Court.

Clare Frances' has published widely on the concept of defences in international criminal law and international humanitarian law, and has worked on projects concerning the impact of international humanitarian law and international human rights law on the situation of refugees. Her current work focuses on the authority of international criminal law.