# Samuel Ross Budnyk Historical Musicology ![Samuel Budnyk](/sites/g/files/omnuum12086/files/styles/hwp_4_5__480x600/public/2025-08/Samuel%20Budnyk.jpeg?h=9e6d76cb&itok=BkDnUdXu) email Sam is a doctoral candidate in historical musicology whose interdisciplinary research sits at the intersection of the arts, law, and artificial intelligence. A licensed attorney in multiple states, Sam's scholarship seeks to develop a coherent legal and theoretical framework for addressing emerging challenges faced by creators and rights-holders in the era of generative AI. His dissertation, tentatively titled "Beyond Genius, to Ownership: Romantic-Era Intellectual Property and the Possibility of Legally Protected AI Art," examines the historical foundations of intellectual property law from the early-19th century and advocates for a renewed understanding of IP laws' original principles and goals to better protect contemporary artists and appropriately value the contributions of AI-generated art. Sam earned his Juris Doctor with honors from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2024. At UF, he served as Senior Managing Editor of the Florida Law Review, was an executive board member and competitor on the Florida Moot Court Team, and received recognition for extensive pro bono work. Before coming to Harvard in 2019, he completed an MPhil in Musicology at Christ Church, University of Oxford (2019) and earned a BA in Music and Comparative Literature from Emory University (2017). In addition to his dissertation research, Sam's scholarly interests include ancient and medieval approaches to rhythm and meter, Wagner and Wagnerism, and the ontology of music. He is a recipient of Harvard's Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning Teaching Certificate (Summer 2025). Outside academia, Sam pursues a deep interest in wine history and culture, holding the Wine and Spirits Education Trust Level 4 Diploma in Wine and Spirits. - ## Person Categories [Graduate Student](/person-categories/graduate-student)