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Dr. Edoardo Celeste named 2022 Irish Research Council Early Stage Researcher of the Year

The award is given to an outstanding current or former Irish Research Council (IRC) awardee who is at an early stage in their research career. Dr Celeste was selected from a number of excellent entries, all of whom demonstrated an exceptional level of achievement in their field at this career stage. This is a great reflection on the current state of emerging research talent in Ireland.

Edoardo’s research expertise is in the burgeoning field of data law, with a special focus on the impact of the digital revolution on legal systems. He studies how fundamental rights are impacted by the digital revolution, and more specifically, how such rights are evolving to face the challenges of the digital age. He specialises in the analysis of the rights to privacy and to data protection. In particular, he looks at the legitimate boundaries that the law should set in relation to the ability of state actors to intrude on these rights. In this field, his research is focused on the regulation of mass surveillance and data retention in Europe. He further specialises in the law and governance of social media platforms, including investigating the constitutional rules that can bind the action of private multinational organisations, such as social media companies.

Edoardo graduated in law from the University of Rome La Sapienza in 2015, winning the Prize for Excellent Student. Having undertaken further studies in Paris and King’s College London, he was awarded an IRC Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship in 2017. His PhD thesis was on the role of soft law in the constitutionalisation of the internet.