Francien Dechesne appointed as Professor to endowed chair of AI and Law at Tilburg University
Francien Dechesne, Associate Professor of Ethics and Digital Technologies, has been appointed by the Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences of Tilburg University as Professor to the endowed chair of ‘Data and AI for the Rule of Law’, effective 1 November 2025.
Francien Dechesne will hold the chair in Tilburg in addition to her appointment at the eLaw Center for Law and Digital Technologies at Leiden Law School. With her background in computer science, mathematics and philosophy, her work focuses on artificial intelligence and its interactions with society. As professor to the endowed chair, Dechesne will focus on the responsible application of AI in the field of justice and security and in particular the legal, ethical, and governance issues. The chair is funded by the Research and Data Centre (WODC) of the Ministry of Justice and Security.
‘My 10 years of research and teaching experience at eLaw in the field of law and digital technologies means I am ideally placed to operate in the field of the WODC. The positioning of the chair between the department of Cognitive Science and AI and the Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, and Society (TILT) reflects my interdisciplinary profile,’ says Dechesne. ‘I'm particularly pleased that this appointment means I can return to the university where I defended my PhD thesis which was at the intersection between philosophy in Tilburg and computer science in Eindhoven. This new position will enable me to make connections between the groups involved within Tilburg and the WODC. Hopefully, by combining my positions, I can also contribute to collaborations between the universities of Tilburg and Leiden.'
By funding this chair, the WODC is demonstrating its commitment to ensuring the availability and use of high-quality scientific knowledge for the fair implementation and application of data and AI in the broad field of justice and security.