Dr Keketso Kgomosotho and Dr Andreas Sauermoser, both researchers at the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights (LBI-GMR), have recently completed their PhDs at the University of Vienna. Both dissertations were supervised by our Director, Michael Lysander Fremuth.

In his dissertation, Why Machine Learning Algorithms Cannot and Should Not Make Decisions That Require Substantive Equality, Dr Kgomosotho examined the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and international anti-discrimination law. His research highlights the structural limitations of algorithmic decision-making and argues that decisions requiring substantive equality should not be delegated to AI systems. Based on this analysis, he advocates for recognising a human right to a human decision.

Exploring the relationship between human rights and international criminal law, Dr Sauermoser’s dissertation The Influence of Human Rights on the Creation of International Criminal Offences, examines how human rights standards shape the development of international criminal offences. Focusing on the crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity, his research demonstrates the role that human rights play in the evolution of international criminal law.

We congratulate both researchers on this significant personal and academic achievement. We are particularly pleased that Dr Sauermoser will continue his work at the LBI-GMR as a postdoctoral researcher, and we wish Dr Kgomosotho every success in the next stage of his academic and professional career.