Theodore Christakis
Professor of International, European and Digital Law
Université Grenoble Alpes
Theodore Christakis is a professor of international and European law at Université Grenoble Alpes, where he also serves as director of the Centre for International Security and European Law (CESICE), co-director of the Grenoble Alpes Data Institute, and director of the university’s master’s program in international law and international careers.
He is also director of research for Europe at the Cross-Border Data Forum, senior fellow at the Future of Privacy Forum, chair of the Legal and Regulatory Implications of Artificial Intelligence program at the Multidisciplinary Institute on Artificial Intelligence, and data protection officer at Skopai.
Christakis’ research focuses on public international law, European law, international security law, human rights, cybersecurity, privacy and data protection, cross-border data transfers, platform regulation, artificial intelligence, and the governance of digital technologies. He has also advised governments, international organizations, and private-sector entities on issues related to international law, cybersecurity, privacy, and data protection.
In addition to his positions at Université Grenoble Alpes, Christakis serves as a member of the French National Committee on Digital and Artificial Intelligence Ethics, the U.K. government’s International Data Transfers Expert Council, and the European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on Access to Data for Effective Law Enforcement. He previously served as a member of the French National Digital Council and as an OECD expert during the process that led to the adoption of the OECD Declaration on Government Access to Personal Data Held by Private Sector Entities.
Alongside his academic appointments, Christakis serves as a consultant and has extensive experience helping organizations implement the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.
Before assuming his current leadership roles, Christakis was a distinguished visiting fellow at New York University’s Center for Cybersecurity. He has also held teaching and visiting appointments at Sciences Po Paris, the Paris School of International Affairs, ILERI Paris, the Australian National University, the University of Naples Federico II, Chuo University, Kobe University, and The Hague Academy of International Law.
Among his professional distinctions, Christakis is a member of the University Institute of France. He previously founded and chaired the European Society of International Law’s Interest Group on Peace and Security, served on the executive council and board of the French Society for International Law, and was a member of the International Law Association’s Committee on the Use of Force. He was also invited by The Hague Academy of International Law to deliver its first course on cybersecurity and international law.
Christakis earned his law degrees in France, where he specialized in international and European law.
