César Augusto Fontanillo López

César Augusto Fontanillo López is a fellow at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society.

He is also a lawyer and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Candidate at the Center for IT and IP Law (CiTiP) at KU Leuven, where he is currently investigating the notion of risk as an epistemic, normative, and regulatory instance for the deployment of European data protection law.

César holds bachelors both in Business Administration and Management and Law (cum laude) from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and a master’s degree in lawyering from the University of Camilo José Cela (summa cum laude with the congratulations of the examination committee).

Before joining CiTiP, César researched the intersection of neuroscience and the law, focusing on electroencephalographic techniques of passive brain-computer interfaces. He developed this research line under the H2020 COST Action 16116 of brain-controlled wearable robotics at the eLaw Center for Law and Digital Technologies of Leiden University and at the Biomechatronics and Biorobotics Lab of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. At CiTiP, César has conducted research on biometric technologies under the European-funded iMARS Project and is a current member of the Biometrics Law Lab of KU Leuven. César has also conducted research on digital identities at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University.

Besides his research activities, César has worked in cybersecurity at the Inter-American Defense Board in Washington D.C. and has provided legal services at an international law firm specialising in intellectual property and information technology law.