Professor Bill Cornish
From Shanghai to Cambridge with the Bill Cornish Memorial Fund
Lovedy Cornish, Development Associate (Law) Annabel Edwards and Bill Cornish Scholar Zihan Ni
The inaugural Bill Cornish Scholar Zihan Ni meets Lovedy Cornish and talks IP law, life in Cambridge—and the impact of giving to postgraduates
Published on:
5 March 2025
I think Zihan is delightful and a good addition to the law faculty. He deserves to do well. Maybe he’ll be one of the great names of the future when it comes to medicine and AI.
Lovedy Cornish
Once a social worker helping victims of crime, Lovedy Cornish now finds herself helping to promote research in Intellectual Property (IP) Law.
It’s a testament to how the University of Cambridge can inspire some unlikely trajectories and forge unexpected connections.
Now in her 90s, Cambridge resident Lovedy hailed from Dorset and her life took on an Antipodean aspect when she married Bill Cornish, who had grown up in Adelaide, South Australia. At Cambridge Bill was the first holder of the Herchel Smith Chair in Intellectual Property Law and at one time served as President of Magdalene College. Something of a celebrity in the IP law world, he left an indelible mark on many students and colleagues at both College and University.
Bill died early in 2022, and a year later Professor Lionel Bently established the Bill Cornish Memorial Fund to benefit postgraduate students in IP law.
Lovedy gave generously to the Bill Cornish Memorial Fund in memory of her late husband, bringing the total raised for the Fund to over £100k and allowing the Fund to be endowed and Bill’s legacy to continue indefinitely. Lovedy was thrilled, remarking that, ‘It is what Bill would have loved to see happen with his money beyond his lifetime.’
She reflected further: "Bill and I were married for 57 years, and it was a pleasure to live with him. He worked far too hard but always with good results, in whatever sphere he was engaged in. That went for his family life too, and he was a brilliant father to our three children. His achievements in the fields of modern legal history and intellectual property law are well known, and of course he was a great encourager for others involved in those subjects. He had an infectious enthusiasm for so many things, including chamber music and gardening, so life was never dull. I miss him dreadfully but knowing that money has been raised to help PhD students in Intellectual Property law is very important and meaningful to me, in keeping his memory and impact alive."
Now, the inaugural Bill Cornish Scholar, Zihan Ni (Robinson 2024), has begun a PhD on the subject of ‘Reforming the Anglo-American pharmaceutical patent law in the age of AI.’ We caught up with Lovedy and Zihan at Lovedy’s Cambridge home recently for their first meeting and some lively conversation, with Bill’s presence very much felt throughout....
In Zihan’s own estimation, his PhD topic is not for the fainthearted:
"Trump would like to enforce very strict patent law protection globally. This might be challenging for developing countries that do not have the resources to afford pharmaceutical patent or licensing terms. So I feel that my research is not purely legal: it also has an insight into pharmaceutical subjects."
Lovedy asked, "Kathy (Professor Kathleen Liddell, Zihan’s PhD supervisor) has already done quite a lot of work in the medical area, hasn't she?"
"Yes: because my research is interdisciplinary, I was fortunate that Professor Liddell could provide guidance. I feel that my project has interesting potential around enabling the collection of as much data as possible—for example, clinical trial data and patient health records—so advanced algorithms can be used."
Lovedy remarked, "Bill would have been very interested in this line of research: it could be a great lifesaver in the future. They're already finding that AI can make diagnoses with certain illnesses. AI can pick things up that ordinary tests can't."
The challenge in the legal world is keeping up with AI advancements and legislating cohesively across countries. In the rapidly evolving field of AI-driven drug research and development (AIDDR&D), patents are crucial for profit. Zihan's work explores how Anglo-American pharmaceutical patent law should be reformed to better support AIDDR&D.
Zihan reflects: "Ever since experiencing Covid lockdown in Shanghai, I realised how scarce medical resources can be in some developing countries. I think this partially drove my ambition to conduct my research so that we can make medicines more accessible to everyone."
What made Zihan decide to study at Cambridge?
"Cambridge was the best choice for me in the UK. I like this land. It's very beautiful, except its climate!"
"One prominent advantage that I enjoy here is that Cambridge has a lot of libraries, so depending on my mood I can choose whichever one I'd like to go to! Not to mention the people you meet and the conversations and networks you can create here across so many interests and areas. It is incredible."
"Plus, I feel that the intellectual atmosphere here is quite impressive. The academic training is much more rigorous than what I have experienced in the past. It’s challenging but very meaningful and fruitful. I look at other IP scholars' publications and think, Wow. It's a long list. They are my idols—and Bill is top!"
Lovedy was impressed by the first Bill Cornish Scholar: "I think Zihan is delightful and a good addition to the Law Faculty. He deserves to do well. Maybe he’ll be one of the great names of the future when it comes to medicine and AI."
The Faculty of Law at Cambridge is one of the world’s leading centres of excellence in legal research and teaching, and graduate students at the Faculty of Law bring fresh perspectives, critical insights and innovative ideas to the study of law. This postgraduate work is a vital step in building a pipeline of the top legal scholars of the future, whose expertise is fundamental in maintaining the legal frameworks that underpin our society. But with inadequate funding available for even the best students to take up their places to study law at a postgraduate level, philanthropic support like the Bill Cornish Fund is needed more than ever.
For Zihan, the generosity of Lovedy and others has opened doors, impacting both him as an individual and the many across the world who will be affected by his critically important field of study:
"Receiving the Bill Cornish Scholarship is both an honour and a profound encouragement for my academic aspirations! I am truly grateful for this opportunity, and it was my great pleasure to meet Mrs Cornish and express my sincerest thanks."
And Zihan is only the first in a long line of talented scholars whose lives and careers will be forever changed and supported by the Fund.
Support the Bill Cornish Fund
It’s so inspiring what philanthropy can achieve, and giving in memory is a creative way to give while honouring a loved one. Gifts like Lovedy’s are part of a wonderful and farsighted tradition of Cambridge giving and become interwoven with the history of the University itself.
Can you help launch new voyages of intellectual exploration that will shape the future for all of us? If you would like to give to the Bill Cornish Fund, or explore your own ideas around giving in memory, please contact:
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