Staff profile

Xiaoran Sun​​ is a PhD researcher in Law at Durham University, supervised by Dr. Anca Chirita. She completed her LLM at the University of New South Wales in 2025 and previously undertook undergraduate studies in International Business in South Korea in 2023. Her practical legal experience includes internships at the Qingdao Maritime Court and the Huangdao District People’s Court, as well as participation in the CRESSE Lawyers' Course in July 2025.

Her proposed doctoral research examines how ​​AI-driven data leveraging​​ poses regulatory challenges to competition law frameworks. The project explores the potential of ex-ante regulatory instruments, such as the EU’s Digital Markets Act and Artificial Intelligence Act, in addressing forms of conduct resulting from ​​data leveraging​​, including algorithmic collusion, data monopolization, and other AI-related anti-competitive practices. A comparative analysis will be conducted of regulatory frameworks and enforcement approaches governing ​​AI-driven data leveraging​​ in the European Union, the United States, and China. Furthermore, the research will argue that data leverage creates inherent overlaps between legal domains, proposes a synergistic integration of competition, anti-unfair competition, and data protection laws to coherently address AI-driven market challenges. The study aims to develop a proactive regulatory framework capable of responding to the dynamics of ​​data leveraging​​ in AI markets while balancing innovation incentives with the preservation of market competition and consumer welfare.