Béatrice Schütte, Doctor of Law, will start as Assistant Professor of Law and AI at the Faculty of Law in January. This is a new position at the University of Lapland, made possible by a substantial donation from Peter Sarlin to strengthen artificial intelligence research in Finland.

Béatrice Schütte, Doctor of Law, has been appointed Assistant Professor of Law and AI at the Faculty of Law of the University of Lapland. The assistant professorship is a five-year (2026–2030) tenure track position focusing on legal issues related to artificial intelligence. The position is new at the University of Lapland and is a PS Fellow position, made possible by a donation from the Foundation PS . PS Fellows work closely with ELLIS Institute Finland, an AI and machine learning research hub that is part of the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS).

Béatrice Schütte received her doctoral degree in Law from Aarhus University, Denmark, in 2014. Subsequently, she worked as a researcher at the University of Nantes in France within the ERC-funded research project Human Sea. She has also served as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Lapland and the University of Helsinki, and as a university lecturer at the University of Helsinki.

Her recent research interests include the regulation of artificial intelligence and digital technologies, liability for harm caused by AI, emotional AI, automated decision-making, and issues relating to AI and sustainability. She has additionally taught at the University of Helsinki and the University of Lapland on subjects such as artificial intelligence and law, internet regulation, and Nordic and international contract law.

“I am absolutely delighted about the appointment and extremely grateful for this opportunity. Exciting times lie ahead, and I look forward to working with colleagues at the Faculty, many of whom I have already had the pleasure of getting to know over the past years,” Schütte says.

“AI is evolving at a rapid pace, and legislators are necessarily reactive. An important area for further inquiry concerns the alignment of the regulatory framework, as gaps and inconsistencies generate legal uncertainty. Such uncertainty may have a chilling effect on innovation and on the uptake of new technologies across sectors,” she highlights.

Professor Minna Kimpimäki, Dean of the Faculty of Law, notes that addressing the legal perspectives and challenges of artificial intelligence requires both legal expertise and knowledge of artificial intelligence technology.

“An assistant professor familiar with the field will significantly strengthen the Faculty’s research on technology-related legal issues and bring new opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. We will also be able to offer more teaching in the field. This will enhance the expertise and employability of lawyers graduating from the Faculty, as artificial intelligence has a strong impact on the work of lawyers now and in the future,” says Kimpimäki.

Further information:

Assistant Professor (as of January 2, 2026) Béatrice Schütte, beatrice.schutte (at) ulapland.fi
Béatrice Schütte’s researcher profile at ResearchGate