Associate Professor/Lecturer in Intellectual Property & IT Law

About us

UCL Laws has a student body comprising around 1100 students and a Faculty of around 135 academic staff, many visiting professors, and distinguished judicial and other honorary staff. It provides some of the finest, research-led thinking and education on law anywhere in the world. UCL Laws achieved 1^st place ranking in the REF 2021 for research quality and is ranked 1^st in the UK in the UK for studying Law in The Times Good University Guide 2025 and 2^nd in the UK in the Guardian's University Guide 2025.

We believe research and education should make difference; a difference to thinking about law, to the practice of law, and to the administration of justice. Our scholarship and research-led education draws on theory, doctrine and social science, and is interdisciplinary and global in nature. We have achieved the highest ratings in the last four instances of the Research Excellence Framework (REF), including being the top ranked law school i n the UK REF2021 (first for GPA, first for overall 4* ratings, and first for QI). We pride ourselves on the collaborative and welcoming atmosphere of UCL Laws, and our community of students, teachers, researchers and alumni help foster our students’ potential during their time with us and throughout their careers.

About the role

UCL Laws has outstanding strengths in both intellectual property (IP) and information technology (IT) law. A growing number of Faculty members, postdoctoral fellows and doctoral researchers cover the topic from different angles and in intersection with other areas of law and practice. UCL Laws’ Institute of Brand and Innovation Law (IBIL) is one of only a small number of UK-based university research centres which focus solely upon IP law. Home to the Hugh Laddie Chair in Intellectual Property and led by Prof Sir Robin Jacob, the institute hosts a wide variety of research and education in frontier IP issues such as generative artificial intelligence and copyright law, standard essential patents, the scope of trade mark protection and infringement and its impact on competitors, the intersection of IP and diversity and historical backgrounds of modern patent law. The Faculty's Law and Technology Group brings together researchers looking at data governance, platform regulation , algorithmic systems, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. We run a range of modules at undergraduate and postgraduate level on foundational to advanced topics in both fields, as well as integrating these topics into more generalist teaching.

UCL Laws holds all varieties of legal research in equal regard and is highly supportive of interdisciplinary and collaborative research. Beyond Laws, UCL houses relevant crosscutting initiatives such as the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and the School for the Creative and Cultural Industries, as well as an enormous range of relevant specialist research groups, with strengths in computer science fields including information security, spatial computing, and human-computer interaction to groups in heritage science, digital anthropology and disability innovation.

We are looking to appoint to one or more posts in IP/IT Law, as Associate Professor or Lecturer in Law. Applications from colleagues who can also teach in other subject areas, including French Law, are most welcome.

The closing date for applications is 28 February 2025. Interviews will likely take place in the week(s) commencing 05 and 12 May 2025.

About you

Successful candidates will be expected to engage in world leading research, and to contribute to the Faculty’s development and advancement of both intellectual property and information technology law and policy, and other areas of law falling within their subject matter expertise. It is also expected that the post-holders will contribute to all aspects of the academic life of the Faculty and University.

The Faculty has a particular interest in recruiting scholars with research interests in copyright law, platform regulation, enforcement with and through technology, and the intersection of emerging technologies with other IP rights such as designs. UCL Laws faces growing demand for teaching and engagement on IP and IT issues from other parts of the university, as well as in executive education, and we particularly welcome applicants with interest and experience of teaching contested legal topics to technologists, creatives and other non-lawyers.

Reflecting the broad strength of the Faculty, we welcome scholars from a wide array of approaches to these issues — socio-legal, comparative, doctrinal, empirical, historical and/or theoretical and interdisciplinary approaches. Applicants should, however, pay particular attention to how their work illustrates their capacity for depth and rigour in a fast-moving field prone to superficial analysis.

Applicants at all levels should possess excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills, a strong sense of teamwork, the ability to work harmoniously with colleagues and students of all cultures and backgrounds, and a demonstrable commitment to UCL’s Equal Opportunity Policy.

The UCL Academic Career Framework sets out four ‘domains’ of activity for teaching and research posts (Research; Education; Enterprise and External Engagement; and Institutional Citizenship). Appointments to a Lecturer or Associate Professor in Law post are expected to make a balanced contribution across all four domains. The key requirements for each role under each of these domains is outlined in the Job Description and Person Specification.

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer great benefits, some of which are below:

41 Days of holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holidays, and 6 closure days)

Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme

Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)

Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan

Immigration loan

Relocation scheme for certain posts

On-Site nursery

On-site gym

Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay

Employee assistance programme

Staff Support Service

Discounted medical insurance

Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We, therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.

You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/

Customer advert reference: B03-02346