To delve deeper into the concepts covered in REMIT’s first conference, to provide a comprehensive overview of each session’s topics, and to offer participants a glimpse of what awaits them, we’ll be rolling out a Session Series in the weeks leading up to the event.
Last but absolutely not least are our Young Researcher sessions! Make sure to click open the accordion menu to learn more about each of them.
| Time (CET) | Session |
| Friday, May 17 12.00-13.00 | Young Researchers Panel 1 Quantum and Multilateralism Moderator: Aysajan Abidin, KU Leuven, Belgium Speakers: Raluca Csernatoni, Carnegie Europe, Andrea Garcia-Rodriguez, ImpaQT; Kristiaan De Greve, KU Leuven, Belgium; Wouter Castryck, KU Leuven, Belgium |
In today’s fast-paced technological society, quantum computing presents unparalleled opportunities and formidable challenges, particularly in digital security. Our panel discussion will delve into the current state of quantum computing and discuss the potential risks it poses to existing digital security frameworks. We will explore the ongoing efforts to transition to quantum-safe, or post-quantum, cybersecurity solutions, emphasizing the crucial role of governance at the EU/global level. Furthermore, the discussion will highlight the imperative of multilateral collaboration in navigating this transformative era.
Session speakers
Dr. Aysajan Abidin is a research expert at COSIC, KU Leuven, Belgium, focussing on applied cryptography and interested in practical and privacy-preserving cryptographic protocols for ML/AI, (I)IoT, smart grid, cloud, etc. Dr. Abidin has lectured for courses on quantum computing, P&O ICT security and networks, and P&D embedded systems and multimedia. He received his PhD in Information Coding under Prof Jan-Åke Larsson’s supervision at department of Electrical Engineering (ISY), Linköping University, Sweden, in 2013. The focus of his doctoral research was on authentication, quantum key distribution, and Universal hash functions. After postdoctoral research on privacy-preserving biometric authentication at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, he joined COSIC as a research fellow in 2015. He has 5 granted and several pending patents and pursues academic interests in all aspects of cryptography, information security, and privacy.
Raluca Csernatoni is fellow at Carnegie Europe, where she specializes on European security and defense, as well as emerging disruptive technologies. She is also a team leader and research expert on new technologies for the EU Cyber Direct – EU Cyber Diplomacy Initiative project. Raluca is currently a guest professor on European security and counterterrorism, and a senior expert contributor on digital governance and technologies at the Brussels School of Governance and its Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy, at Vrije Universiteit Brussels in Brussels, Belgium. She is also a lecturer on technology, security, and high-tech warfare with the Department of International Relations of Central European University, and an associate research expert on Peace Tech with the Austrian Study Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, both in Vienna, Austria.
Andrea G. Rodríguez is Lead Digital Policy Analyst for the EU Digital Agenda at the European Policy Centre (EPC). Before joining the EPC, she was Lead Researcher of the Global Observatory of Urban Artificial Intelligence at CIDOB (Barcelona Centre for International Affairs), where she did research on digital topics and emerging technologies and was Project Manager. She has held advisory positions at the European Cybersecurity Forum (CYBERSEC) as Programme Committee Member, and at NATO as one of the 14 members of the Young Leaders group during the NATO 2030 process. In 2021, she was named “NextGen Leader” at the Young Professionals Summit (YPS) at the Brussels Forum and the Spanish Cybervolunteers Foundation recognised her as one of the 13 Spanish women to follow in technology, an initiative supported by Spain’s Ministry of Social Affairs and the 2030 Agenda. Andrea holds an EMJMD degree from the University of Glasgow, Dublin City University, and Charles University in Prague in Security, Intelligence and Strategic Studies (IMSISS) with a specialization in security and technology, and a B.A. (Hons) in International Relations from the Complutense University of Madrid, where she completed two stays abroad at Charles University in Prague and at the National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taipei.
Kristiaan De Greve is IMEC fellow and program director quantum computing, as well as (part time) professor of Electrical Engineering at KU Leuven – ESAT-MNS. He is a graduate of KU Leuven (Burg. Ir. Elektrotechniek, summa cum laude with congratulations by the board of examiners), and obtained his Electrical Engineering PhD in 2012 at Stanford University under Yoshihisa Yamamoto, studying ultrafast optical control of some of the first spin qubits, and their entanglement with light. Before moving back to Belgium in 2019, he was HQOC Prize fellow in Physics at Harvard, studying the limits of quantum sensors and other nanoscale systems. His research group at imec aims to take quantum science from lab to fab, and currently focuses on high yield, realistic fabrication of high-fidelity spin and superconducting qubits, realizing among others the very first foundry-fabrication of superconducting qubits in the world. Kristiaan is a member of the Young Academy of Belgium/Flanders, and the recipient of several awards and fellowships. In addition to his engineering work, he obtained degrees in physics, management science and engineering as well as a mini-MBA at Stanford and Harvard.
Wouter Castryck is a Research Expert at COSIC KU Leuven, and has a Licentiate and PhD in Mathematics from KU Leuven. He has held postdoctoral positions at several institutions, including the University of Ghent, Université de Lille-1 and KU Leuven. Wouter’s research interests are focused on the applications of algebraic geometry and number theory to cryptography, particularly in the areas of algebraic curves, elliptic curve-based and lattice-based cryptography, including post-quantum cryptography.
| Time (CET) | Session |
| Friday, May 17 12.00-13.00 | Young Researchers Panel 2 AI and Multilateralism: Consensus under the Fragmented Governance? Moderator: Prof. Daniel Mügge, University of Amsterdam Speakers: Mahmoud Javadi, Erasmus University Rotterdam; Maya Müller-Perron, Maastricht University; Hengyi Yang, Maastricht University: Zhanwei Wang, Maastricht University; Siyuan Qiao, Maastricht University; |
Current narratives regarding AI governance are mainly country-based, which indicates the geopolitical rivalry surrounding AI standards is undoubted and unavoidable. However, on the optimistic side, countries are still learning from each other and there remain many similarities in their AI governance approaches. This panel aims to unpack the conflicting points and the consensuses of global AI governance by deeply understanding how the multi-level stakeholders (sub-state actors, state actors, and non-state actors) view AI as a strategic technology, which can be the potential foundation of multilateral AI governance in the future.
Session Speakers
Daniel Mügge is a Professor of Political Arithmetic at the University of Amsterdam, specializing in the European governance of artificial intelligence (AI). He leads the RegulAite project, focusing on “AI diplomacy”, exploring the EU’s AI relations with major global players and its role in multilateral regulation efforts. Mügge co-initiated the Citizens, Society, and AI (CiSAI) research platform and co-directs the “AI & Politics” Research Priority Area at UvA. His PhD dissertation won an ECPR Jean Blondel prize and and his earlier work concentrated on the political economy of macroeconomic indicators. Mügge has held visiting scholar positions at Harvard University as well as at the Freie Universität Berlin as an Alexander von Humboldt fellow.
Mahmoud Javadi serves as an AI Governance Researcher at Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) in The Netherlands. In this capacity, he plays a role in an EU-funded research consortium titled ‘Reignite Multilateralism via Technology’ (REMIT). Before assuming his current position, he was associated with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where his focus lay in conducting research on EU external relations. His academic background includes a Master of Arts in Transnational Security Governance from the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, Italy.
Maya Müller-Perron is a Bachelor student at University College Maastricht, where she focuses on International Relations (mainly on the European Union’s Foreign Policy) and Law. For the REMIT project, she is conducting research on how the United States (under the Biden administration) regulates Artificial Intelligence. Specifically, she applies the ad- vocacy coalition framework in the American context to better understand how important actors and their beliefs shape American AI policies.
Hengyi Yang is a PhD Researcher at Maastricht University, focusing on how China regulates emerging technologies (e.g., AI and genome editing) and China’s participation in global technology governance. He also focuses on the application of advocacy coalition framework in the Chinese context and discourse network analysis. Hengyi is also the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Saint Pierre Center for International Security, where he leads the China Digitopedia. Previously, Hengyi worked as a research assistant at Harvard University and Carnegie Mellon University. He also worked for several think tanks: Inter-American Dialogue, Intellisia Institute, and Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies. He obtained a Research Master in International Studies from Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals.
Zhanwei Wang is a PhD candidate at Maastricht University. She specializes in international organization studies with an interest in how IOs respond to changing global issues. Her current research centers on multiple China-initiated international institutions, including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Prior to her PhD studies, she held a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Political Science from Renmin University.
Siyuan (Amber) Qiao, a PhD candidate at Maastricht University, is researcher contributing to the REMIT WP4 project, which centers on Blockchain and Digital Currency. Her research focuses on how CBDC affects geopolitical competition as an alternative instrument of global cross-border payment.
| Time (CET) | Session |
| Friday, May 17 15.00-16.30 | PhD Special Session Moderator: Dr. Max Smeets, ECCRI, UK |