Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider

Professor Louisa Specht-Riemenschneider is a leading legal scholar in data protection and information law at the University of Bonn, Faculty of Law and Political Science. She was appointed Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI) in May 2024, taking office on September 3, 2024, while retaining her academic role. Her career spans junior professorships and chairs at the Universities of Cologne and Passau before joining Bonn in 2018.

• Education: Law degree from University of Bremen, doctorate (2011) from Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg.
• Research Focus: Interdisciplinary work on data economy, digitalization, AI, and regulatory frameworks for technology.
• Leadership: Director of the Institute for Commercial and Business Law and the Center for Medical Data Usability and Translation (ZMDT).

Her accolades include the German Foundation for Law and Informatics' Research Prize, Dieter Meurer Prize, and Friedwart Bruckhaus Prize. She has held pivotal advisory roles, including chairing the Digital Advisory Board of the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport (BMDV) and membership in the Science Council's working group on digital sovereignty.