Michael J. Madison

Michael J. Madison is a Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh, with secondary appointments at the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) and affiliations with Pitt Cyber, Ostrom Workshop, EDHEC Business School Augmented Law Institute, and Center for Governance and Markets. He co-founded the Workshop on Governing Knowledge Commons and Future Law Works, and serves as Faculty Director of the Future Law Project.

His research spans knowledge commons governance, data and AI policy, intellectual property law, and smart city frameworks. Recent work explores blockchain governance, biomedical knowledge sharing, and the intersection of law and technology. He received the 2025 Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award and 2014 Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award, and was elected to the American Law Institute in 2016.

• Key Projects: Governing Smart Cities as Knowledge Commons (2023), Governing Medical Knowledge Commons (2017)
• Awards: Yale Medal (2016), IAALS Fellowship (2014)

Professor Madison teaches Copyright Law, Trademark Law, and Leadership courses. He co-hosts Your Leadership Podcast and writes for Substack newsletter Everything in Between, focusing on institutional design and post-industrial societies.