Riikka Koulu

Riikka Koulu serves as Assistant Professor in Law and Digitalisation at the University of Helsinki, where she also earned her doctorate in 2016. She directs the University of Helsinki Legal Tech Lab—an interdisciplinary hub examining law, technology, and society—and is a member of HELDIG (Helsinki Centre for Digital Humanities). Currently, she holds a visiting researcher position at HIIG (Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society) in Berlin within the 'Data, Actors, Infrastructures' research programme.

Her educational foundation includes a University of Helsinki doctorate (2016), culminating in the dissertation Dispute Resolution and Technology: Revisiting the Justification of Conflict Management. This work critically analyzed how dispute-resolution technologies privatize enforcement mechanisms and challenge legal justifications for coercion—a theme expanded in her 2019 Routledge book Law, Technology, Dispute Resolution: Privatisation of Coercion.

Koulu's research centers on algorithmic fairness and the limits of transparency in AI-driven legal systems, with particular focus on how digital platforms reshape conflict management. She investigates the ethical implications of technology-driven privatization of enforcement—from e-commerce platforms to blockchain smart contracts—arguing these developments expose fundamental tensions in law's coercive nature. Her work bridges legal theory, digital governance, and practical technology implementation.

Recent publications reveal a strategic shift toward legal design patterns as analytical tools for translating between legal frameworks and technological systems. This interdisciplinary approach addresses critical gaps in managing societal impacts of algorithmic decision-making, emphasizing actionable frameworks for developers and legal practitioners.

As director of the Legal Tech Lab, Koulu leads collaborative research at the law-technology-society intersection. She co-organized the 2022 'Design Patterns in Law' event at HIIG with international experts, fostering cross-disciplinary dialogue on law-software design integration. Her leadership cultivates environments where technical innovation engages deeply with legal ethics and social accountability.