PhD Research Opportunity: Performers' Rights, Personality, and AI

About the Project

This fully funded PhD studentship, supported by the AHRC MusicFutures Creative Cluster at the University of Liverpool, involves working with the MusicFutures research team and 27 industry partners to examine legal and policy challenges facing performers in the digital music ecosystem. The project explores how performers’ rights frameworks respond to artificial intelligence (AI) and synthetic media, and how voice, identity, and artistic persona can be better protected under UK law, with a focus on personality rights. The research would be conducted under the joint supervision of Dr Sabine Jacques, at MusicFutures, School of Law and Social Justice, University of Liverpool and Dr Georgia Jenkins, School of Law and Social Justice, University of Liverpool.

The successful candidate will undertake their PhD at the University of Liverpool and contribute to the MusicFutures Clinic and Lab. They will develop an interactive tool mapping legal protections for voice, likeness, and performer identity across key jurisdictions, supporting stakeholders in navigating evolving rights and AI-related challenges. The tool will also disseminate findings from the PhD’s empirical research, amplifying performers’ perspectives across industry, policy, and research communities. The PhD will commence in October 2026 and will be undertaken on a full-time basis (3 years).

PhD Research Opportunity: Performers' Rights, Personality, and AI

Project Background and Context

This PhD addresses a critical gap in UK intellectual property law. Currently, performers' rights are protected under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 primarily through a "fixation-based" model, protecting recorded performances rather than the performer's identity and artistic expression. This framework is increasingly inadequate in the digital age, particularly as generative AI can now replicate singers' voices, musical styles, and performance personas without consent or remuneration, circumventing existing legal protections.

The research proposes reconceptualising performers' rights through personality protection, recognising performance as an expression of the performer's identity rather than merely an exploitable recording. This approach is grounded in comparative law: civil law jurisdictions and some common law systems already protect personality rights (voice, image, reputation) as extensions of personal identity, offering a model the UK could adapt.

Research Aims and Candidate Activities

The PhD has two primary aims:

1. Evaluate the adequacy of the fixation-based framework for protecting performers' personal and expressive interests, particularly regarding digital reproduction and AI-generated performances.
2. Develop a reform framework that recognises performers' personality interests in the digital and AI-driven economy.

To achieve these, you will:

• Conduct doctrinal legal analysis of UK performers' rights and international instruments to assess how current law conceptualises performance.
• Undertake qualitative research through semi-structured interviews with performers (grassroots, independent, and early-career artists), music producers, managers, collecting societies, technology developers, and IP lawyers. This empirical work explores how performers experience protection of their performance identity in streaming, social media, and AI contexts.
• Perform comparative analysis of personality and publicity rights regimes internationally, evaluating how other jurisdictions' approaches could inform UK reform.
• Analyse industry materials and disputes relating to AI-generated music and voice cloning to understand real-world challenges.

Training and Collaboration

The studentship provides comprehensive support and integration into the research community:

Supervision and Mentorship: You'll be supervised by Dr Sabine Jacques, IP and AI Policy Lead at MusicFutures, and Dr Georgia Jenkins, IP LLM Director.

Research Culture and Collaboration: You become part of MusicFutures and the School of Law and Social Justice, actively participating in seminars, workshops, and collaborative projects. The research culture emphasises engagement with industry stakeholders and creative practitioners, facilitating direct access to performers and professionals for your empirical work.

Professional Development: The studentship includes:

• Accreditation in teaching in higher education (encouraged for all research students)
• Teaching opportunities within the department
• Training in qualitative research methods and research ethics
• Participation in staff meetings and research activities

Project Structure

Year 1: Focused on training and preparation. You'll complete literature reviews, doctrinal legal analysis, qualitative research methods training, and ethics approval. Initial interviews with key stakeholders establish empirical foundations.

Years 2–3: Dedicated to independent research and thesis development. You'll conduct extensive performer interviews, undertake comparative analysis, synthesise findings, and develop reform proposals. These years allow deeper engagement with emerging AI-generated music challenges and policy developments.

Residential Requirements: You must reside in the Liverpool City Region, enabling active participation

Applications should be submitted to slsjpgr@liverpool.ac.uk by no later than 12pm on Monday 22nd June 2026. This should include a full CV and covering letter setting out:

• Any relevant knowledge, qualifications and experience, including any postgraduate research methods training and qualifications.
• Your reasons for wishing to undertake a PhD in this area.
• Confirmation that you would be willing and available to receive training and supervision at the University of Liverpool according to the needs of the project.
• A copy of first degree (and Master’s degree if already acquired) certificates and transcripts (or anticipated grade) Details of two independent referees, including one academic referee.
• A 3,000-word research paper (including a 300-word abstract) comparing publicity rights and personality rights.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an online interview on 7th July 2026.

Funding Notes

This studentship will sit within the MusicFutures projects, externally funded by the AHRC.

The funding for the two PhD studentships is provided by the School of Law and Social Justice, it will cover fees (at UK home rate) and an annual stipend (at UKRI rate) and will be awarded to the applicants selected by the interview panel, subject to successfully completing the formal UoL PhD application process. Successful applicants will also have access to an annual personal conference allowance, in line with other Law PhD candidates within the department.