Associate Professor Jay Sanderson is an interdisciplinary and socio-legal scholar who is interested in the relationships between law, society and culture. He has degrees in sports science, psychology and law (as well as a Graduate Diploma in Education). From 2019-2025, he was Dean of the School of Law and Society at UniSC and was responsible for a range of disciplines including law, criminology, social work and the humanities. Jay is currently researching legal aspects of food, sport and health.
Professional memberships
- Member of the Australian Centre for Intellectual Property in Agriculture (ACIPA)
- Adjunct Research Fellow, Law Futures Centre (Griffith Law School, Griffith University
Potential research projects for HDR and Honours students
- Intellectual property law
- Agriculture, food and biodiversity
- Law, nature and science
Research grants
| Project name | Investigator(s) | Funding body | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growing a Digital Future in Agriculture | with L. Wiseman | CRDC and others, A$125,000 | 2019 |
| Review of Meat & Livestock Data Access Principles | with L. Wiseman | Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA), A$27,000 | 2018 |
| Creating a Farm Data Co-operative | with L. Wiseman | Birchip Cropping Group, A$25,000 | 2018 |
| Accelerating Precision: Agriculture to Decision Agriculture | USC named with 15 other research partners | Department of Agriculture and Water Resources' Rural Research and Development (R&D) for Profit Programme (A$1.3 million total) | 2016–2018 |
| Australia’s Food and Fibre Futures: Intellectual Property and Access to Plant Genetic Resources | with B. Sherman, C. Lawson and L. Wiseman | ARC Discovery A$285,000 | 2012–2014 |
Research areas
- Plants, agriculture and food
- Biodiversity and BioTrade
- Intellectual Property Law
- Law and Nature
Teaching areas
- Tort Law
- Intellectual Property Law
- Honours and Legal Research
- Health Law
Professor Jay Sanderson’s specialist areas of knowledge include intellectual property law, intellectual property and agriculture, the UPOV Convention, plant variety rights, plants, food and the law, genetically engineered animals and the intersection and relations between law, science, politics and other human and material factors.
In the news
UniSC expert: Cookbook recipe feud raises multiple legal issues
2 JunThe ongoing public feud about recipe exclusivity in cookbooks raises a legal minefield, according to a UniSC professor who specialises in intellectual property law in relation to food, plants and agriculture
Graduate careers soar in 10 years of UniSC Law
17 Sep 2024As the University of the Sunshine Coast’s first Law graduates swap exciting career stories this week for the School’s 10-year milestone, its latest high achievers will be crossing the stage to forge their own paths to professional success