Dongshu Zhou

Dr. Dongshu Zhou is a postdoctoral researcher at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), a visiting scholar at Leiden Law School – Leiden University, and a senior fellow at the Brussels Privacy Hub. His research focuses on personal data protection, privacy law, and the legal dimensions of artificial intelligence, particularly in relation to deepfakes, AI-driven systems, and human rights accountability, including cross-border data transfers. He also has a strong background in comparative law and legal methodology.

Dr. Zhou obtained his PhD in European Law from Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, where his research examined the protection of personal data within international, EU, and Chinese legal frameworks. His dissertation was evaluated as excellent by both the internal and external PhD committees. During his doctoral studies, he was awarded a prestigious full scholarship from the China Scholarship Council (CSC).

Beyond academia, Dr. Zhou serves as a Legal Officer at the Permanent Representation of China to the UN-FAO. He has also provided legal counsel to various private entities as well as national and international organizations, offering expert guidance on privacy, technology, human rights, and international law.
He is also the President of the Help Chinese NPO Legal Protection Association in Italy, where he advocates for the legal rights of Chinese communities in the country.