Ahlam el Barnoussi-el Mhamdi is an external PhD researcher at eLaw – Center for Law and Digital Technologies.

More information about Ahlam el Barnoussi-el Mhamdi

Ahlam el Barnoussi-el Mhamdi is an external PhD researcher at eLaw – Center for Law and Digital Technologies. 

Her research examines digital sovereignty and the evolution from consent-based data governance models to meaningful user control in an era shaped by AI, automated decision-making, and shifting digital power structures. She explores how legal, technological, and institutional frameworks can better safeguard autonomy, fundamental rights, and citizen agency in complex digital ecosystems.

Ahlam brings more than 14 years of professional experience in cybersecurity governance, risk management, compliance, and public–private digital innovation. She has held roles across government, consulting, and EU-level collaboration initiatives, most recently coordinating national efforts to connect Dutch organizations with European cybersecurity programs, funding pathways, and policy developments.

Her academic and professional interests include:

• privacy, data protection, and consumer empowerment
• AI regulation and digital markets governance
• cybersecurity ecosystems and institutional capacity-building
• digital rights, legitimacy, and societal trust in technological systems

Ahlam holds an MSc in Business Studies (Strategic Management) and a BSc in Information Science, and maintains multiple industry certifications, including CDPSE, CRISC, CISA, CISM, PMP, and ITIL. She is motivated by interdisciplinary research, evidence-informed policymaking, and advancing ethical, human-centered digital transformation.