Encarnación La Spina

Encarnación La Spina is Professor of Philosophy of Law and Research Fellow in the Department of Public Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Deusto, where she coordinates the online Law Degree. She is affiliated with the Pedro Arrupe Human Rights Institute and served on the Loiola Legal Clinic (2018-2025).

Her research critically examines human rights, migration law, vulnerability frameworks, and discrimination through comparative legal analysis. Key contributions focus on refugee integration, migrant family dynamics, EU asylum policy, and the impact of algorithmic systems on migration management, with particular attention to intersectional vulnerabilities and critical perspectives on legal categorization.

Recent publications (2019-2025) reveal intensifying focus on technological impacts in migration governance (AI regulation, algorithmic bias), Ukrainian displacement responses, and pandemic-era reception systems. These works span international law, human rights, and European Union law, frequently employing interdisciplinary methodologies to deconstruct legal stereotypes and policy contradictions.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• Leonardo Scholarship for Researchers (BBVA Foundation, 2018)
• I3 Excellence Program Certification (Ramón y Cajal subprogram, 2022)
• Two CNEAI-ANECA Research Periods (labels 1 and 2 in Philosophy of Law)

Professor La Spina directs doctoral research (e.g., Ortiz Ledesma's thesis on social economy standards) and leads major projects including the Resiliencia del derecho antidiscriminatorio initiative (2022-2026) and consecutive Basque Government human rights conventions (2022-2025). Her work integrates theoretical rigor with practical legal clinic engagement through the Loiola Legal Clinic, which combats inequality through community-based legal advocacy and refugee integration support.