Dr Scott Steele

Scott brings practical legal experience into the academy. He is an accredited mediator in commercial and employment disputes, has worked on high‑value civil claims and advised on corporate governance and compliance. His practitioner insight informs his teaching, supervision and curriculum design, giving students a direct line to professional practice.

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn

ORCID

ResearchGate

ARU

Background

Dr Scott Steele is a dynamic, boundary‑pushing Lecturer in Law in the Faculty of Business, Innovation and Entrepreneurship based in Peterborough. He fuses world‑class research on space law, planetary protection and environmental justice with an energetic, practice‑driven teaching style that transforms students into confident, employable legal thinkers. As Employability Lead for ARUP, an accredited mediator and an award‑nominated educator, Scott builds bridges between academia, industry and policy to create learning that matters now and for the future.

Spoken Languages

English

Research interests

Scott’s research tackles the legal questions of tomorrow. He is internationally recognised for work on Space Law and Governance, Planetary Protection and Astrobiology, Environmental Law and Justice, International Public Law and the Law of the Seas. His scholarship blends rigorous legal analysis with interdisciplinary science and policy, producing actionable ideas on orbital debris, planetary protection policy and the governance of new space activities. Scott presents regularly at major international fora and publishes in leading journals, translating complex theory into practical policy options.

Areas of research supervision

Scott is open to PhD and dissertation supervision in Space Law and Governance, Environmental Law and Justice, International Public Law, Contract Law, Tort Law, Disputes or Public Law.

Scott welcomes invitations to guest lecture, speak or collaborate.

Teaching

Scott’s classroom is a launchpad. He designs immersive, problem‑based modules across the LLB that put students at the centre of learning and mirror real legal practice. His teaching portfolio includes:

• Contract Law
• Tort Law
• Public and EU Law
• Commercial Law
• Business Law
• Employment Law
• Civil Litigation
• The Law of Information
• IP and Social Media
• Undergraduate Major Project
• International Law
• Human Rights
• International Environmental Law and Space Law.

He champions active learning, authentic assessment and inclusive pedagogy, consistently raising engagement and satisfaction metrics. Scott supervises undergraduate and postgraduate research, mentors early career academics, and is available for guest lectures, keynote talks and institutional workshops.

Qualifications

• Civil Mediation Council Accreditation
• Doctor of Philosophy
• Master of Laws (LLM): International Public Law
• Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
• Higher National Diploma Paralegal

Memberships, editorial boards

• AdvanceHE
• The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA))
• Civil Mediation Council
• Association of Law Teachers
• Society of Legal Scholars
• British International Studies Association
• The Society for Research into Higher Education
• and is a reviewer for leading academic presses and journals.
• Journal of International Law
• Cambridge University Press
• Review of European, Comparative & International Environmental Law

Selected recent publications

• ORCID

• ResearchGate

Recent presentations and conferences

International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS) 2021

The International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2021 

Committee of Space Research (COSPAR) 2021

The Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference 2020

The International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2020 

The British International Studies Association (BISA) 2020

International Astronautical Congress (IAC) -

IAF Space Transportation Solution and Innovations Symposium IAF (D2) Emerging Global Space Ventures, including Reusability and other Innovations (9-D6.2) – The Outlook of human spaceflight in 2070: Considerations and arising legal issues.

IISL Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space (E7) Interactive Presentations – International space law and hindrance to space activities?

IISL Colloquium on the Law of Outer Space (E7) International cooperation on the way to the Moon and Mars (2) – Public-private partnerships; The preferred method for space, or an enhancement of international space law?

International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS) –

An actionable and reasonable view on the removal of space debris in a building block exercise for the future of space governance and sustainability

Human Spaceflight in 2070: As space agencies are working toward sending humans back to the Moon, what will we be doing in 50 years? Will we have settlers on the Moon or even Mars?

Can international law provide a basis for actively removing space debris?

Leicester law school postgraduate research conference –

The future of the COSPAR Planetary Protection Guidelines: Space Governance and Astrobiology.

International Astronautical Congress (IAC) -

IAF symposium on space security (E9) Virtual Presentations – Can international law provide a basis for actively removing space debris?

IAF Space transportation solutions and innovation symposium (D2) Emerging Global Space Ventures (9-D6.2) – The Outlook of Human Spaceflight in 2070

The Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) –

Can international law provide the basis for actively removing space debris?

IISL Symposium on Maintaining the Rule of Law in Outer Space in an Age of Rapid Innovation-

Is Humanity’s return to the Moon: Maintaining the Rule of Law in the Age of Artemis?

British International Studies Association (BISA) –

Sustaining the Outer Space Environment: Now and in the Future (Virtual Roundtable)

Committee of Space Research (COSPAR) –

Planetary Protection Policy (PPP.1) - A new perspective on an old consideration: Backwards contamination. The sleeping conundrum to scientific investigation and the future cornerstone of space governance.