Research Interests
Open to PhD applications in:
- Financial law and regulation
- European Banking Union and Capital Markets Union
- (Post-)Brexit financial markets integration in Europe
- Sustainable finance and financial inclusion
- Commercial law
- Trade law (especially WTO law; trade in financial services; regional trade integration; trade, the environment and precaution)
- Business regulation (e.g. energy sector; chemical industry; financial services)
- Competition law and policy (especially tensions between competition law and public policies; relationship between competition law – sector-specific regulation; EU competition law and policy; competition in the financial sector)
Public outreach & key achievements
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Member of the AHRC Peer Review College
Research students
| PhD area |
The Effect of Shari'ah Law on Commercial Contracts and Dispute Resolution in Saudi Arabia |
| Name | Bashayr Alotaibi |
Alumni: Where are they now
| PhD area | The UK’s legal framework for market integration in services and devolved regulatory autonomy. A missed opportunity? |
| PhD area | Dr Gary Simpson |
| Years of study | PhD awarded 2025 |
| Current Position: | Senior Policy Adviser, Department for Business and Trade |
| Quotation | 'Dr Pesendorfer has been a constant source of unconditional support and guidance throughout my postgraduate life at both Masters and PhD level. Never once did he fail to provide me with insightful and instructive feedback. He was wonderful at keeping me motivated and helping me see the positives and perhaps even the funny side of things at times when I may have felt like I was struggling. I could not have asked for a more engaged and supportive supervisory team.' |
| PhD area | Towards an Ambitious Plant Health Protection Policy in Northern Ireland- Learning from past failures and capitalizing post-Brexit opportunities |
| Name | Dr Rebecca Stevenson |
| Years of study | PhD awarded 2022 |
| PhD area | Modernising stock market accessibility and operational framework: What can an emerging market economy learn from the 'best practice' models of the US and UK? |
| Name | Dr Saad Almohammed |
| Years of study | PhD awarded 2021 |
| PhD area | Unconventional gas exploration and regulating risks: What can Nigeria learn from western countries? |
| Name | Dr Alozie Nwabughuogu |
| Years of study | PhD awarded 2020 |
| PhD area |
Post-privatisation problems in the Nigerian electricity sector: The roles of sector-specific regulation and antitrust law |
| Name | Dr Kabiru Adamu |
| Years of Study | PhD awarded 2020 |
| Current Position: | Senior Lecturer, Department of International Law & Jurisprudence, Faculty of Law, Bayero University, Kano-Nigeria |
| Quotation | 'I had the best excellent supervision under Dr Pesendorfer. He gave detailed attention to my work and always provided me with excellent, constructive and timely feedback. He was always approachable and committed to helping me with guidance on my academics and career development at Queen's.' |
| PhD area |
Accountability and regulatory governance in a cross-jurisdictional market: A case study of the all-island energy market |
| Name | Dr Tanya Harrington |
| Years of study | PhD awarded 2016 |
| Current Position: | Chief Regulatory Affairs Officer, An Post (the Irish Postal Service) |
Discover More
- Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
- School of Law
- Centre for European and Transnational Legal Studies
Get ahead: tips on how to prepare your application to study for a PhD at QUB Law
Read our guidance on the steps in our PhD applications process and how to present your research proposal.
Interested in a postdoctoral fellowship at QUB Law?
If you have already completed a PhD or are about to do so, and you are looking for a mentor for a postdoctoral fellowship in one of my areas of expertise, please get in touch via email. The School of Law has a strong track record in supporting able candidates who are working towards fellowship applications to funders such as the British Academy, EU Marie Sklodowska-Curie scheme, ESRC NINE and the Leverhulme Trust.