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. Early-career legal scholars interested in science governance are encouraged to explore the INSTAR Consortium Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at /fellowship/.
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