Welcome to the Law and Technology Research Group
About the group
The Law and Technology research group brings together a diverse group of researchers, professionals, stakeholders and students, from legal and non-legal backgrounds, interested in the intersections between law, technology and society.
We engage with a wider community, both nationally and internationally, sharing interest in the legal, regulatory and governance issues raised by technologies. Please browse this website to become more familiar with our research, and to look for opportunities to get involved.
Our research focus
The group's research is focused on number of topics related to law and technology, including: aerospace, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, biotechnology, business-tech, cyber law, digital entertainment, e-commerce, employment, environment and climate change, healthcare, information technology, intellectual property, military technology, nano- and neuro- technology, robotics, security, space law, telecommunications, and many more.
Members
Director:
- Dr Damian M. Bielicki (Department of Law)
Damian is the Director of the Law & Technology Research Group at Kingston University. His research interests are on space law and cyber law. He completed the ISU's Space Studies Program at NASA Ames Research Center in California. He is a member of the International Institute of Space Law. He is also the founder of the Space Law Centre, the world's largest online database of space law and policy-related issues.
Core members:
- Professor Kay Peggs (Department of Criminology and Sociology)
- Dr Egle Rindzeviciute (Department of Criminology and Sociology)
- Dr Dilpreet Virk (Department of Law)
- Dr Darren McStravick (Department of Law)
- Dr Aiman El Asam (Department of Psychology)
External partners:
- Associate Professor Bernadette Richards (Medical School, University of Queensland, Australia)
- Associate Professor Debora Provolo (School of Law, University of Padua, Italy)
- Dr Zuzanna Kulinska-Kepa (Air & Space Law Department, University of Warsaw, Poland)
Institutional partners:
Publications and activities
The research group offers activities and supports publications for students and researchers.
Student-focused activities
- We offer a 30-credit module on Law of Technology and Innovation in our law courses (LLB optional module at level 6, and on LLM programme).
- Our undergraduate and postgraduate students have the opportunity to participate in the European Rounds of the Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition. We also promote other law competitions that embrace the area of law and technology.
- The Department of Law, Department of Aerospace Engineering, and the MBA Executive Programme work on collaborative events for students, including satellite mission hackathon, and visiting a local satellite company.
- We organise workshops on related topics throughout the academic year. We are committed to research-led teaching where students of different levels (LLB, LLM, PhD) are taught research findings in the fields of law and technology.
Researcher-focused activities
- We produce collaborative research outputs published in leading peer-reviewed journals, book series, conference series and reports. Please get in touch for opportunities to get involved.
- We organise events, including conference and seminar series, substantive talks and study groups, followed by scientific publications, to create a specific impact.
- The Research Group is working on academically rigorous research that focuses on space exploration and the human rights law implications. Please get in touch if you would like to contribute to a collaborative research output.
- We welcome new PhD candidates interested in conducting research in intersections between law, technology and society.
Previous publications and activities
January 2024: Symposium on Space Policy and Law
Dr Damian Bielicki presented on the legal aspects of satellite constellations at a Symposium on Space Policy & Law. The symposium was a collaboration between the University of Portsmouth and the Space South Central Enterprise Network (SSC). The SSC is the largest regional space cluster in the UK between industry and academics. The symposium addressed a range of space-related themes including rights and responsibilities, debris and infrastructural resilience and safety.
January 2023: Inaugural Kingston University Satellite Mission Hackathon
This event saw students from the MBA Executive Program, the Department of Law and Department of Aerospace Engineering (Space Technology pathway) come together in a directed Hackathon.
The students were asked to produce a feasible satellite mission concept that aimed to assist meeting one of the 17 UN sustainability goals but additionally provide a commercially viable product that could be pitched to a local satellite company, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL).
New book 2022: Regulating Artificial Intelligence in Industry
Congratulations to the team of researchers led by Dr Damian Bielicki on the publication of an edited book on Regulating Artificial Intelligence in Industry (Routledge 2022). The book provides a unique examination of the regulations concerning the use of AI in a wide range of sectors, including aviation, energy, government, healthcare, legal, maritime, military, music, and others. It addresses the broad range of aspects, including privacy, liability, transparency, justice, and others, from the perspective of different jurisdictions. Read more about the book on the Routledge website.
Contact us
Dr Damian M. Bielicki
Department of Law
Tel: +44 (0)20 8417 4328
Email: D.Bielicki@kingston.ac.uk
