Prof. Dr. Urs Gasser

Academic Career and Research Areas

Urs Gasser is Professor of Public Policy, Governance and Innovative Technology and is the Rector of the Hochschule für Politik (HfP) and Dean of the TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology. His research focuses on the interactions between innovative technologies and society, particularly the social and regulatory implications of AI, augmented and virtual reality, and quantum technologies. At TUM, he has spearheaded the TUM Think Tank and launched initiatives such as the TUM Generative AI Task Force, the TUM Quantum Social Lab, the Friedrich Schiedel Fellowship for Technology in Society, and the Global Tech Policy Practice. 

Prof. Gasser advises international organizations such as the OECD, UNICEF, and UNESCO. He also contributes to policy discussions at the World Economic Forum (WEF), is a member of the US National Academies of Sciences Working Group on Generative AI, and chairs the International Policy Advisory Panel on AI Governance of the Kingdom of Thailand. Previously, he served as a member of the Colombian President's Commission of Experts on AI and a member of the German Digital Council under Chancellor Merkel.

Previously, he was Executive Director of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society and Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School. He continues to serve on the Berkman Klein Center's Board of Directors and is a Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard. He was also a Visiting Professor at the University of Zurich, Singapore Management University, University of St. Gallen, and KEIO University in Japan.