Dr Art Cotterell | UNSW Research

My Expertise

Nuclear law, regulation and governance (domestic and international)

Space law and governance (domestic and international)

Technology governance

Intellectual property law

Keywords

nuclear

space law

international law

intellectual property law

Fields of Research (FoR)

Public international law, International and comparative law, Space, maritime and aviation law, Nuclear engineering (incl. fuel enrichment and waste processing and storage), Nuclear medicine

SEO tags

Nuclear

Nuclear Energy

Space transport

Expanding Knowledge in Technology

Expanding Knowledge in Law and Legal Studies

Justice and the Law

Biography

Dr Art Cotterell is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Nuclear Law at the UNSW Faculty of Law & Justice, and a member of the UNSW Nuclear Innovation Centre. He brings over a decade of experience across government and civil society to academia.

His research examines how power and politics influence the law, regulation and governance of nuclear and space technologies and artificial intelligence. Art's work is oriented towards questions of who gets to shape decisions about these technologies and their applications, how those decisions are made, whose interests they serve and whether they advance equity and justice rather than reproduce patterns of exclusion.

Prior to joining UNSW, Art was a Research Associate at the Australian National University (ANU) School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet), where he coordinated course development for the National Nuclear Safeguards Education Program, a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Australian Safeguards and Non-Proliferation Office (ASNO), and later convened courses for its inaugural student cohort.

Art has served as an executive-level advisor across the Australian Government, including at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Department of Finance, where he was instrumental in delivering microeconomic regulatory reform for National Cabinet. At IP Australia, he represented Australia at the World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva. Earlier in his career, he worked in the courts, community legal centres and the sector's peak body to advance access to justice.

He is a frequent invited speaker at meetings of government and peak bodies, regularly contributes to The Conversation and other outlets, and is a research affiliate with the Australasian Centre for Space Governance.

Art holds a PhD from the University of Adelaide, titled 'Patent Law in Outer Space: For the Benefit of Whom? Towards a Global Public Interest' (awarded in 2026), which was supported by The FA and MF Joyner Scholarship in Law and the Zelling-Gray Supplementary Scholarship; a Bachelor of Laws (LLB)(Hons) and Bachelor of Social Work from UNSW; and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from ANU.

He is admitted as a lawyer in the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory.

My Qualifications

PhD in Law (Adel)
GDLP (ANU)
LLB(Hons) / BSW (UNSW Sydney)

My Awards

The University of Adelaide – postgraduate studies:

The FA and MF Joyner Scholarship in Law (2021–2024), awarded for postgraduate research of an original or progressive nature leading to advancement of knowledge in any branch or aspect of law
Zelling-Gray Supplementary Scholarship (2022–2024), established by The Honourable Justice Tom Gray and the late Honourable Dr Howard E Zelling, AO CBE to encourage postgraduate research

UNSW Sydney – undergraduate studies:

The Helen Sham-Ho Prize for Best Performance in the Bachelor of Social Work
UNSW Law Dean’s List for Best Performance in Law and Technology: Comparative Perspectives (Zurich) (LAWS3346)
The Marg Barry Prize
The Dorothy Allison-Furhagen Prize
The John Lawrence Prize

My Research Supervision

Supervision keywords

nuclear

space law

international law

intellectual property law

Areas of supervision

International nuclear law and governance

Australian and comparative nuclear law and regulation

International space law and governance

Technology governance

Intellectual property law

My Teaching

At UNSW Sydney:

Artificial Intelligence: Law and Governance
Intellectual Property Law
Foundations of Contract Law

Previously, at the Australian National University, Art convened postgraduate courses on:

Nuclear Safeguards Regulation
Nuclear Safeguards Practice

He has also delivered guest lectures to undergraduate and postgraduate students on international space law at the University of Adelaide, the University of Sydney and the Australian National University.

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