L.E. (Lauren) Elrick, LLM

Lauren E. Elrick is a Lecturer in Technology Law at the University of Groningen, and a PhD researcher dually enrolled within the University of Groningen and the "Mihai Viteazul" National Intelligence Academy, Romania.

Her research is conducted as part of the ESSENTIAL Project ('Evolving Security SciencE through Networked Technologies, Information policy And Law') and focuses on how personal information is used within border security in Europe. In particular, it focuses on how to balance the competing interests of privacy and security, and considers whether this can be attained through the use of a holistic approach. 

She has a LLB in Scots Law with European Legal Studies from the University of Aberdeen, UK and an LLM in International Human Rights Law from the University of Groningen. During her undergraduate degree, she also spent a year studying at the University of Helsinki, Finland. 

She joined the University of Groningen as a PhD researcher in late 2017 and since March 2021, she has also held the position as a Lecturer in Technology Law. She is a member of the Security, Technology and e-Privacy Research (STeP) Research Group.

Her research interests focus on the intersection between human rights, security and technology. In particular, she is interested in two main areas: (1) how to protect both human rights and security, rather than prioritising one in favour of the other; and (2) considering how human rights (such as privacy, data protection and non-discrimination) can be affected by emerging digital technologies.