Dr Art Cotterell
Postdoctoral Fellow
- PhD in Law (Adel)
- GDLP (ANU)
- LLB(Hons) / BSW (UNSW Sydney)
Law & Justice
School of Global & Public Law
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.
E-mail
Location
Law Building
- Publications
- Media
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
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 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.