Julia Pohle

Dr. Julia Pohle is Co-head of the Research Group "Politics of Digitalization" at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center since May 2024, where she has served as Senior Researcher since April 2015. She concurrently holds positions as Associate Researcher at the CNRS Centre Internet and Société in Paris (since January 2025) and Senior Associate Researcher at the Center for Digitalisation, Democracy and Innovation (CD2I), Brussels School of Governance (since October 2021), establishing her as a leading transnational scholar in digital governance.

Her academic journey includes a PhD in Communication Studies from Vrije Universiteit Brussel (2016), a Magister Artium in Cultural Studies, Computer Science, and Philosophy from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (2004-2007), and foundational studies at Universität Bremen and Università di Bologna. Her research critically examines the tension between nation states and global digital cooperation through the lens of digital sovereignty, geopolitics, and communication governance.

Pohle's extensive publication record reveals a decisive shift from multistakeholder internet governance frameworks toward critical analyses of digital sovereignty discourses since 2019. Her interdisciplinary work bridges communication studies, political science, and law, with recurring themes including power dynamics in internet architecture, gendered dimensions of data privacy, and the geopolitical implications of EU regulatory initiatives. Recent articles demonstrate increasing engagement with Global South perspectives and sustainability concerns in digital policy.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• Fellow of the Global Governance Futures Program (Robert Bosch Foundation Multilateral Dialogues) (2014-2015)
• PhD fellow of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) (2010-2015)

As Academic Editor of Internet Policy Review since 2020 and Co-Chair of IAMCR's Communication Policy and Technology Section, she actively shapes scholarly discourse. Her leadership extends to steering committees of the Internet Governance Forum Germany (2016-2022) and Global Internet Governance Academic Network (2013-2016), demonstrating sustained engagement with policy communities.

At WZB, she leads the "Politics of Digitalization" research group and drives multiple high-impact projects including "Re-claiming Digital Sovereignty in discourse, policy and practice (ClaimSov)", "Forging Successful AI Applications for European Economy and Society (FORSEE)", and "Balancing Acts: European digital policy amidst economic, normative and security competition", positioning her at the forefront of critical digital policy scholarship.