Bernie Arauz Canton is British and currently lives in Leeds, United Kingdom. He was born and raised until the age of 14 in Philadelphia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. He concluded high school at the Liceo de San Miguel de Desamparados in his native country, where he is currently part of the Generation 81 Alumni Group.

He began studying at the University of Costa Rica. Later, with a scholarship from the United States government's Agency for International Development, he continued his studies in Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

He studied English at Georgetown University and political science in San German, Puerto Rico. Upon concluding his studies in Puerto Rico, he was appointed by the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges, United Kingdom, as a Spanish language lector at Trinity and All Saints College (now Leeds Trinity University), University of Leeds.

He has a Postgraduate Certificate in Secondary Education (P.G.C.E. in Modern Languages) and a Master of Education degree in Advanced Studies in Modern Languages, from the University of Leeds. He has been a teacher in various secondary schools as well as an external examiner in Spanish in England.

He holds a Master's degree in International Politics and Security Studies from the world-renowned Department of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford.

He has a Master’s degree and a PhD in International Law from the Complutense University of Madrid. His doctoral thesis was recognized as outstanding and was recommended for publication.

He has taught at the universities of Leeds Trinity and Huddersfield and is currently employed at the University of Bradford.

He is a Fellow of Advance HE (the British Academy of Higher Education).

He is interested in the intersection between international law and peace studies. He is the promoter of the Chair of Peace Education and Human Rights at the University of Costa Rica.

He has published several articles concerning international affairs. He has peer-reviewed articles for several academic journals and presented papers at international conferences. He is an international analyst for Conexión Mundial, a Costa Rican journalistic magazine specializing in international affairs.

In June 2017, he was part of a group of international jurists who met at the Peace Palace in The Hague to analyze the legal implications of UN Security Council Resolution 2334 and the 2004 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice. During the meeting, convened by The Hague Initiative for International Cooperation, Dr. Arauz delivered a paper on the legal meaning of Security Council Resolution 242 (1967) and its implications for the status of the West Bank and Jerusalem.

He is a member of the International Scientific Committee of the Actualidades Investigativas en Educación Journal, University of Costa Rica.

He is also a member of the British branch of the International Law Association and an academic collaborator of the International Politics Observatory of the University of Costa Rica.