Philipp Sauter

Philipp Sauter is a Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law (MPIL) in Heidelberg, Germany, where he has been working since March 2022 as a doctoral candidate under the supervision of Armin von Bogdandy. His PhD research focuses on The Legal Framework of Nuclear Fusion. Sauter holds a unique interdisciplinary background combining law and physics, with a First State Exam in Law (2022), Master of Science in Physics (2021), and a Maîtrise in International and European Law (2019).

His educational journey includes law studies at the University of Tübingen (2016-2022), physics studies at the same institution (2016-2021), and international law studies at the Université d'Aix-Marseille in France (2018-2019).

Sauter's research centers on the intersection of nuclear technology and international law, with particular emphasis on nuclear fusion regulation, disarmament law, and climate change law. His work addresses critical questions about how international legal frameworks must adapt to emerging nuclear technologies, particularly fusion energy, and how these developments intersect with global security concerns and environmental obligations. He examines the legal challenges surrounding nuclear proliferation risks from fusion technologies, the application of international humanitarian law to nuclear facilities during armed conflict, and the tensions between domestic fiscal policies and international climate commitments.

His publications and presentations reveal a consistent focus on how international legal frameworks can be adapted to address both traditional nuclear challenges and emerging technological developments. Sauter's work demonstrates how nuclear fusion technology presents not just technical but profound legal and policy challenges that require innovative approaches within existing international legal structures.

• Doctoral scholarship holder of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (since 2023)
• Exposé Scholarship from the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (2022)
• Cusanuswerk scholarship holder (2015-2022)

Sauter actively participates in academic knowledge dissemination through teaching and conference presentations. He has taught International Law Colloquium at Heidelberg University (2023), Introduction to Nuclear Law at Karlshochschule International University (2022/23), and Constitutional Law tutorials. His conference participation is extensive, including COP28 in Dubai (2023/24), COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh (2022), multiple International Nuclear Law Association events, and specialized workshops on nuclear disarmament. As Secretary of Working Group 8 (Nuclear Fusion) of the International Nuclear Law Association and representative in the Max Planck PhDnet, he plays an active role in shaping academic discourse around nuclear law.