Applying data-driven methods to the law
Drawing from my background in law, in quantitative methods, and in pharmaceutical sciences, my scholarship seeks to analyze emerging technologies from a legal, economic and normative perspective. Lately, I focused on the analysis of innovation in the fields of biotechnology, cancer research, nanotechnology and nanomedicine.
After working in a patent litigation team at a law firm, I entered academia by joining the Center for Law & Economics at ETH Zurich. The doctoral program provided me with the opportunity to follow coursework with the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences. Academic exchanges were encouraged, providing me the chance to conduct research in Berkeley and in Munich, and to present my projects at various seminars and conferences.
In the early 20th century, legal realism aspired to rely on methods of natural science, i.e. empirical evidence, to study jurisprudence. A reaction to legal formalism, which contends that judging is a rule-bound activity, realism argues that formal legal rules do not determine the outcome of cases. Rather than being rational decision-makers, judges rely on policy considerations and personal traits before justifying their decision with formal of rules of the law. Law and economics stems from this movement, and grew as one of its most influential approaches. As opposed to dogmatic-centered doctrinal study, law and economics aims at predicting the effects of the law and, relying on efficiency assessments, prescribes policy recommendations maximizing overall social welfare.
The Center for Law & Economics at ETH Zurich follows this approach and brings together researchers from law and economics, united by common methodologies. In particular, empirical and experimental research is conducted. I developed my data-driven approach at the Center, which enabled me to pursue my work in collaboration with researchers from a range of fields, and co-authors include scholars in biomedical engineering, physics and economics.
Opportunities at Waseda University
In Asia, intellectual property is one of the most dynamic fields of law. I will be a Visiting Professor at Singapore Management University, working on an artificial intelligence patent project led by the university in co-operation with a private sector entity. I will also be visiting Hong Kong University, which has established a center composed of both lawyers and computer scientists. International hiring practices and interdisciplinary research will give such initiatives large returns in terms of reputation and scientific outreach.
At Waseda University, the Research Center for the Legal System of Intellectual Property is a leading forum for scholarly conferences and debates. By both setting-up conferences with well-renowned speakers and co-sponsoring workshops for junior scholars, the center fosters academic debate. A competitive LL.M. program with coursework in intellectual property is offered, and exchange programs with worldwide partners – including Stanford Law School – on the rise.
The Waseda Institute for Advanced Study, with which I am affiliated, offers an interdisciplinary roof to researchers from a variety of fields. Embedded within a network of 44 partners member institutes on six continents, the institute grants academic placement with reduced teaching duties. Thanks to its research focus and the quality of the staff, it provides for an excellent start at one of the leading law institution in Asia. Ties to leading universities, such as Tokyo University and Keio University, have facilitated my exchange with Japanese scholars, granting me the opportunity to deliver guest lectures and engage in joint research projects.
