Ms Yirong Sun

Yirong Sun is a PhD candidate in Law at the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Dr Jennifer Cobbe. Her doctoral research examines the regulation of planetary infrastructures, including remote sensing satellites, space situational awareness systems, and space weather monitoring, and explores how the integration of these infrastructures into operational governance initiatives reshapes concepts of law and regulation. 

Yirong holds an LL.M. in International Legal Studies from New York University School of Law, and an LL.B. with a minor in Economics from Tsinghua University. She is also a graduate of Tsinghua’s International Arbitration and Dispute Settlement (IADS) Program. Prior to joining Cambridge, she worked for three years as a full-time Research and Teaching Fellow at New York University with the Institute for International Law and Justice (IILJ) and the Guarini Global Law & Tech Program (GGLT). Her research focused on global data law, working with Professors Angelina Fisher and Thomas Streinz, and on space and planetary governance with Professors Benedict Kingsbury and Katrina Wyman.

PUBLICATIONS

• Satellite Infrastructures and Law in the Making of Planetary Knowledge (with Benedict Kingsbury) 26(1) Chicago Journal of International Law (2025)
• Zoning Data Flow (with Jingxian Zeng) 16(2) Tsinghua China Law Review 191 (2024)
• Future of Due Diligence in Cyberspace 54(2) NYU Journal of International Law and Politics 753 (2022)

BLOGS & SHORTER WRITINGS

• Empowering Law in Earth System Models, International Law Association American Branch Blog Symposium, 24 June 2024
• China’s Interim Measures for the Management of Generative AI Services: A Comparison Between the Final and Draft Versions of the Text (with Jingxian Zeng), Future of Privacy Forum, 22 April 2024
• Unveiling China’s Generative AI Regulation (with Jingxian Zeng), Future of Privacy Forum, 23 June 2023

INVITED PRESENTATIONS

• ‘Planetary Thinking and the Law: Earth, Space, and Place’ ICON-S Annual Conference, Dublin, upcoming June 2026
• ‘Ground Stations as Sites of Governance for Earth Observation Satellites’ 2nd Earth–Space Sustainability Conference, Leiden, 19 March 2026
• ‘Planetary Satellite Data in International Legal Governance’ Chicago Journal of International Law Symposium, Chicago, 31 January 2025
• ‘The Law of AI Infrastructures: Liability, Standards, Regulation’ ICON-S Annual Conference, Madrid, July 2024
• ‘Artificial Intelligence and the Future of International Lawmaking’ American Society of International Law Annual Meeting, Washington DC, 6 April 2024
• ‘Global AI Regulation: The (Mis)Alignment Challenge’ International Law Weekend, International Law Association American Branch, New York, 20 October 2023

FUNDING & AWARDS

• Squire Law Studentship (2025–now)
• Soh Bing Scholarship (2017–2021)
• Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court (2021): National Championship; Top 10 Team, Top 100 Oralist (Global Rounds)
• Foreign Direct Investment Moot (2020): Honourable Mention; Round of 16 Teams (Global Rounds)

PROFESSIONAL & ACADEMIC SERVICE

• Vice-President, Cambridge Arbitration Society (2025–now)
• Managing Editor, Cambridge International Law Journal (2025–now)
• Review Board Member, FDI Moot (2024–now)
• Moot Court Coach, New York University (Jessup 2022–2024; Lachs Space Moot 2024–2025)
• Graduate Editor, NYU Journal of International Law and Politics (2021–2022)
• Editor & Director (China Law Update), Tsinghua China Law Review (2018–2020)