Jack Wright Nelson Assistant Professor

Jack received his Juris Doctor from the University of Melbourne in 2014. He was admitted to practice law in Victoria, Australia in 2016, and then in Hong Kong, China in 2017 following the completion of further study at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. From 2015–2018, Jack was an associate with King & Wood Mallesons LLP's international technology team in Hong Kong, later transferring to the firm’s Singapore office in 2019. After relocating to Canada, he earned his Master of Laws in Air & Space Law from McGill University in 2023, and his Doctor of Civil Law in 2026. At McGill, his research was supported by a Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

His research examines the intersection of law, science, and technology, with a specific focus on space law. Jack has published extensively in leading journals, including the Asian Journal of International Law, Cambridge International Law Journal, Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, European Journal of Legal Education, Journal of Space Law, Singapore Journal of Legal Studies, as well as in edited collections. . He has also published online with the Harvard International Law Journal, Völkerrechtsblog, the American Journal of International Law, and the European Journal of International Law. His scholarship been cited in publications from NASA, the United States Institute of Peace, the European Parliament, the United States Congressional Research Service, and in amicus curiae submissions before the United States Supreme Court.

From 2022 to 2025, he served as the Editor of a peer-reviewed academic journal, the Annals of Air and Space Law, produced by the Institute of Air and Space Law.

In addition to his role at TRU, Jack is also an Associate Academic Fellow at the National University of Singapore. Recent honors include the Nicholas Mateesco Matte Prize in International Space Law as well as the Jose Bogolasky Memorial Prize in International Air Law, both awarded in 2022; the 2024 Brennan Essay Prize in Public International Law, awarded by the Australian branch of the International Law Association: and the 2025 Scholarship Prize from the American Society of International Law's International Law and Technology Interest Group.

Jack’s publications can be found on Google Scholar and SSRN: his ORCID iD is 0000- 0002-2467-681X.

Courses taught

• Air and Space Law (LAWF 3780)
• Contracts (LAWF 3030)