Professor Mimi Zou
Head of School
B Ec SocSci (Uni Medal & Hons 1) USyd; LLB (Hons 1) USyd; BCL (Distinction) Oxford; DPhil Oxford
Law & Justice
School of Private & Commercial Law
My research explores private and commercial law issues related to AI and the regulation of emerging technologies. Before joining UNSW, I held senior academic roles internationally, including the Chair in Commercial Law at the University of Exeter and the first Fellowship in Chinese Law at the University of Oxford. At Oxford, I founded its first lawtech lab and co-led an AI spinout. I am a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law.
I work with industry, government, and civil society to advance responsible AI and ethical technology practices. I am a member of the LawtechUK Panel and a senior independent expert advising the UK Ministry of Justice and the Judiciary on new and emerging technologies and data governance. I have previously served on the UK Government’s expert body on responsible AI and data innovation and on international taskforces on technology governance, including the G7, World Economic Forum, World Bank, UNIDROIT and the International Panel on the Information Environment.
I have published widely on AI and law, most recently The Cambridge Handbook of Generative AI and the Law. I have been recognised with the Global Australian Award for Technology (2024) and the Flos Greig Trailblazer Award for innovation (2025).
I have held visiting and honorary appointments at leading institutions including Oxford, Columbia, Zurich, and Peking University. I am admitted as a solicitor in New South Wales and called to the Bar in England and Wales.
E-mail
- Publications
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- Grants
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- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
I have successfully obtained a wide range of individual research grants and external funding throughout my academic career. Two of the most significantly funded projects included:
- 2019-2020: Principal Investigator of the Deep Tech Dispute Resolution Lab at the University of Oxford: I led a team of 12 researchers from law, computer science, ethics, economics, finance, psychology and sociology (approx. AU$500,000 in total external funding)
- 2019-2021: Technical Lead, China Business Environment Programme (the key strand of a AU$30 million China Prosperity Fund Programme of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office).
Academic awards
- British Academy Talent Development Award
- Association for Asian Studies-Luce Foundation Law, Society, and Justice Workshop Award
- Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (SASE) Early Career Workshop Award
- International Association of Labour Law Journals (IALLJ) Marco Biagi Award for Best Paper
- Taylor and Francis Commonwealth Scholars Best Journal Article Prize (Runner-up)
- Innovation in Teaching Award, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Union Internationale des Avocats International Jacques Leroy Prize (Runner-up)
- University Medal, University of Sydney
- Walter Reid Memorial Prize for Economics and Law, University of Sydney
- Kingsley Laffer Memorial Award for Work & Organizational Studies, University of Sydney
- Sydney Law School Negotiations Competition Winner
- Cutler Hughes and Harris Prize for Labour Law
- University of Sydney Outstanding Academic Achievement Award
Professional Achievement Awards
- Global Australian Award for Technology
- UK Women of the Year (Finalist)
- Young Women to Watch in International Affairs Award
- Inaugural 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians Award
- Asian Women of Achievements Award UK (Finalist)
- British Council’s Education UK Alumni Social Impact Award (Finalist)
- Asia Society Asia 21 Young Leader
- University of Sydney United Kingdom Alumni Association Award
- Young Australian of the Year (Finalist)
My research has been published in leading international peer-reviewed journals and won/been shortlisted for various research prizes and awards. I received a British Academy Talent Development Award in 2021, as the first legal scholar to have received the Award. These Awards recognise influential researchers in the social sciences and humanities who are developing innovative interdisciplinary approaches in their fields and creating new opportunities for knowledge and skills exchange across disciplines. I am currently co-editing a statutory commentary of the EU's AI Act with Beck and Hart Publishing.