Once completing his studies in law at the Universities of Bonn and Tübingen, Rüdiger Wolfrum became a Professor for Comparative Public Law and International Law at the Law Faculties of the Universities of Mainz (1982), Kiel (1982-1993) and Heidelberg (1993). Since 1993, he has been the Director of the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, in Heidelberg.
Since 1996, he has acted as Judge at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and was re-elected in both May 1999 and June 2008. From 1996-1999, he was the Vice-President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and from 2005-2008, he was the President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
Rüdiger Wolfrum is a member of the following organisations: the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (1990-1999); re-elected in 1994 and 1998, resigned in 1999 in regard of the Membership at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea Member of the Senate of the German Research Foundation (DFG) (1992-1996); the German Research Foundation (DFG) (1996-2002); the Council of the German ILA (International Law Association) Section (since 1994); the International Environmental Board of Arbitration Den Haag (since 2001); Le associé de l’Institut de Droit International (since October 2007); the Council of the "Deutsche Gesellschaft für Völkerrecht"(German Society for International Law) (since 1997); President since 2005.
Rüdiger Wolfrum participated at the Third UN Law of the Sea Conference (alternate) as a member of the German delegation. He also participated at the 4th Special Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting concerning Antarctic mineral resource activities. He is member of the German delegation and Chairman of the Legal Working Group (since 1985) deliberating international law issues.