I am extremely grateful to the organisers for recognising my work and I was happy to receive the information about this honourable distinction. The goal of my research and teaching has always been to show that women have a place in the area of new technologies and their legal regulation. When talking about the application of law in cyberspace, we are not only talking about its technical aspects, but also those related to social or legal issues – cyberspace is not just zeros and ones, it is also legal norms, social principles and ethical rules. That is why I am particularly pleased with this distinction, because it confirms the importance of activities for the inclusion of women in interdisciplinary research on cyberspace and the development of digital competences. I support girls, for example, as part of the "Girls in ICT" campaign carried out together with the International Telecommunications Union, which the University of Lodz has joined several times as the "Always Open University", teaching coding and online safety to high school students from Lodz. As of the upcoming semester, the Lodz Cyber Hub research centre will also be represented by cyber ambassadors, i.e. students interested in the application of international law in cyberspace and willing to share their knowledge in this area with other students belonging to the University of Lodz community. Additionally, as a member of the Scientific Committee of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, I have attached particular importance to the issue of combating discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity in the name of the idea of equality, diversity and inclusiveness. In the advisory committee of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), I represent the interests of European Internet users, striving to increase the accessibility of the global network and digital content itself for people with disabilities. This award motivates me to continue working intensively for equal rights.
– says Dr Joanna Kulesza.
Equality Leaders are outstanding women who, through their actions and commitment, inspire and change reality for equality, diversity, inclusiveness and the common good of a just society.
The awards gala will be held on 1 March at the Royal Baths Park in Warsaw.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Dr Joanna Kulesza has been the head of the Lodz Cyber Hub research centre, representing the University of Lodz in the European Security and Defense College since 2021. She is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Public International Law and International Relations, Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Lodz and Professor at Vilnius University. She has completed research internships at the universities of Cambridge, Munich and Giessen. She has lectured, among other things, at Stanford University, the University of Oxford and the University of Muenster.
Dr Joanna Kulesza is the author of numerous scientific publications in the field of international law and the law of new technologies, including five monographs on international law and Internet law.