Universiteit Leiden

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Tycho de Graaf appointed Professor of Technology and Private Law

Tycho de Graaf has been appointed Professor of Technology and Private Law at Leiden University as of 1 June 2022.

Tycho de Graaf

De Graaf joined the Department of Civil Law of the Institute of Private Law in Leiden on 1 August 2017. He will continue to focus on technology and private law in this new chair from a broad private law base. ‘Technology has a major impact on our society and is developing rapidly. Its use raises all kinds of questions related to private law. For example, if artificial intelligence is used and something goes wrong, has a contract been concluded and is anyone liable?', says De Graaf. ‘In situations like that, the question arises as to whether private law sufficiently facilitates and guides the relationships between private parties such as companies and consumers. In other words: does private law leave enough room for innovation and does it offer sufficient protection? And if not, should the law or technology be adjusted, or both?’

De Graaf teaches general private law and an elective course in Technology and Private Law, and conducts research in the interdisciplinary SAILS programme (Society, Artificial Intelligence and Life Sciences). Before entering academia full time, he was a lawyer at Nauta Dutilh N.V. for 20 years and received his PhD in Leiden in 2006 with a thesis on liability limitations.

De Graaf is also in charge of the postgraduate Contracts specialisation course of Juridisch PAO Leiden and is a lecturer on the postgraduate specialisation courses National and International Contracts and Informatics Law of the Grotius Academy. He is also editor of the journals Maandblad voor Vermogensrecht and Computerrecht, a regular contributor to the WPNR, a deputy judge at the District Court of The Hague and arbitrator at the Stichting Geschillenoplossing Automatisering (SGOA).

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