Law Research
INSTAR's law and science governance program examines how legal systems shape the conditions for scientific discovery and responsible technology deployment. Our interdisciplinary approach connects regulatory analysis, AI-assisted legal data processing, and consortium expertise to address the governance challenges that accompany rapid advances in biotechnology, computation, and materials innovation.
Science & Technology Law
INSTAR's science law research explores how regulatory systems can keep pace with artificial intelligence, gene editing, autonomous systems, and quantum technologies. We analyze structural gaps between the speed of innovation and the evolution of legal doctrine, developing framework analyses that protect the public while preserving space for beneficial research. Our interdisciplinary approach combines legal scholarship with machine-learning review of regulatory corpora to surface patterns across jurisdictions and reveal where existing doctrine requires reform.
Intellectual Property & Innovation
We study how patent systems, trade secret law, and open-source licensing models influence the flow of scientific knowledge from laboratory to public benefit. Research interests include how IP policy structures incentives in pharmaceutical development, clean energy transfer, and open scientific collaboration—and where reform could better align private rights with national STEM priorities.
INSTAR's legal research supports responsible technology transfer by informing how research outputs can be protected and made broadly accessible in compliance with applicable standards. Researchers interested in science governance are encouraged to explore the INSTAR Fellowship at /fellowship/.
Grounded in Open Legal Data
INSTAR's law research draws on openly accessible legal corpora and government data to ensure reproducible, evidence-based analysis of regulatory systems. Working from public datasets allows our researchers to verify findings, compare across jurisdictions, and share methodology openly — a foundation for credible science-law governance research.
Our primary open legal sources:
- Caselaw Access Project — digitized U.S. court decisions for machine-learning analysis of legal doctrine and precedent evolution.
- GovInfo — authenticated federal statutes, regulations, congressional records, and administrative law documents.
- Congress.gov — legislative history, bill text, and committee reports for science and technology governance research.
- Data.gov — federal open datasets supporting empirical legal and regulatory research across policy domains.
OUR PARTNERS
For Researchers
Join the INSTAR Fellowship
The INSTAR Fellowship is an open citizen-scientist program — no minimum degree required, selection based on fit with our research culture. Structured mentorship, interdisciplinary scope, and the freedom to pursue hard problems.