Francesca Palmiotto

Francesca Palmiotto is an Assistant Professor of Law at IE University, Madrid. Her research explores the intersection of law and technology, focusing on Human Rights and Artificial Intelligence, the Governance of New Technologies and Corporate Responsibility for Artificial Intelligence. 

Francesca earned her PhD in 2023 from the European University Institute (EUI), Florence, following a magna cum laude graduation from the Law Faculty of the University of Turin and obtaining an LL.M. in Comparative, European and International Laws from the EUI. 

Before joining IE University, Francesca was a postdoctoral researcher at Hertie School, Berlin, co-leading the “Algorithmic Fairness for Asylum Seekers and Refugees” project. Francesca is also the co-founder and chief editor of “The Digital Constitutionalist” (DigiCon).

Alongside her research, Francesca is a passionate and innovative teacher with experience designing and delivering courses for undergraduate and graduate students. Her research and teaching interests include Human Rights and New Technologies, Artificial Intelligence and Law, Criminal Law and Technological Advancements. 

Her work has been featured in journals such as the German Law Journal and the Computer Law & Security Review. She co-edited the book “Sovereignty, Technology and Governance after COVID: Legal Challenges in a Post-Pandemic” (Hart Publishing, 2022) and is currently working on her first monograph.

Corporate Experience

• Criminal Law Practice, Studio Legale Anfora, Italy, 2018

Academic Experience

• Assistant Professor of Law, IE University, Spain, 2024 - Present

• Postdoctoral Researcher, Centre for Fundamental Rights, Hertie School, Berlin, 2022 - 2024

• Co-founder and Editor of “The Digital Constitutionalist” (DigiCon), 2020 - Present

• Editor of the “Tech Litigation: Case-Law Database on Automated Decision-Making”, 2024 - Present

• Fellow, Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Humboldt University, Berlin, 2024

• Visiting Researcher, Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB), Bruxelles, 2022

• Research Assistant, Law Department, European University Institute, Florence, 2019 - 2020

Academic Background

• PhD in Law, European University Institute, Florence, 2023

• LL.M in Comparative, International, and European Laws, European University Institute, 2018

• Combined Bachelor and Master of Science in Law, University of Turin, Turin, 2017

Selected Publications

• Palmiotto, F. (2024), “When is a decision automated? A Taxonomy for a Fundamental Rights Analysis”.German Law Journal, 25(2)

• Palmiotto F., Menéndez, N. (2023), “Facial recognition technology, democracy and human rights”, Computer Law & Security Review, 50

• Palmiotto, F., Ozkul, D. (2024), “Contesting Automation: the NewTech Litigation Database”, Forced Migration Review  73