I am a researcher in European law at the European University Institute in Florence, where I am completing a PhD under the supervision of Professor Deirdre Curtin. My work sits at the intersection of EU criminal law and digital regulation, exploring how the EU pursues security objectives by regulating online service providers. You can find more information on my ongoing work under the Research and Publications tabs of this website.

Some information about myself: I grew up in Germany but have spent most of my adult life studying and working abroad. I studied law in France and then specialised in European law at Leiden University. Since 2021, I have been based in Florence, apart from a traineeship in Strasbourg in 2023 and a research fellowship at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law in Freiburg in 2025.

Much of what I know about European law I learned inside the institutions. In 2019, I was a trainee in the Legal Service of the European Commission, in the team responsible for Justice and Home Affairs, where I supported my team's casework on criminal law, police cooperation, asylum law and private international law. In 2023, I worked for Judge Síofra O'Leary, at the time President of the European Court of Human Rights, supporting her with legal research, drafting, and speechwriting.

Alongside my doctorate, I also contributed to policy-relevant research. In 2024, I was the national expert for France in a European Commission (DG JUST) study on the reform of the EU's mutual recognition instruments in criminal matters, working through how the European Arrest Warrant and six other instruments actually function in French law and practice. A report from this study, which also explored the potential need for reform, was published by the EU's Publications Office in 2026.

I like the parts of academic life that involve other people. I coordinated the EUI's Digital Public Sphere Working Group for two years and organised a conference for the CIVICA European University Alliance in 2024. I also served as a Researcher Representative on the EUI's Academic Council and Gender Equality Committee, helping to improve the working conditions of PhD researchers through these fora.

I am always glad to hear from people working on related questions — please feel free to reach out at valerie.albus@eui.eu.