Dr. François Hublet
Post-Doctoral Researcher · Formal & Computational Digital Governance
ETH ZÜRICH (ZURICH) / GROUPE D'ÉTUDES GÉOPOLITIQUES (PARIS)
I use formal and computational methods to make software systems, laws, and democratic processes transparent and verifiable — from automated GDPR enforcement to the quantitative study of elections.
My academic work intersects formal methods, privacy, and quantitative political science. I am currently advised by Prof. Dr. David Basin.
Besides, I also work as a political data analyst and regularly write in Le Grand Continent and other international outlets.
I hold a doctorate in computer science (2026) from ETH Zürich.
News
All news →Research
I conduct interdisciplinary research. Below are my main research lines and the funded projects I contribute to.
My research lines
Privacy regulations such as the GDPR are poorly complied with. In my PhD work, I developed techniques and tools that make Privacy by Design more rigorous and automated. I also conduct empirical privacy work.
Law and social science are “soft” sciences, yet they can benefit from formal and computational tools. I work together with legal and social-science scholars to develop interdisciplinary approaches for automated reasoning, compliance, and data analysis.
In recent months, I have grown increasingly interested in approaches combining Large Language Models (LLMs) and logic. I collaborate with ML colleagues to develop neurosymbolic techniques that target both security/privacy and social science applications.
Datasets, benchmarks, and data analysis methodologies are key to good policy and research alike. As a think-tank analyst, I have been collecting and analyzing multiple political-geography datasets, with a focus on European electoral sociology and cross-border spaces.
Funded projects & grants
Externally funded projects I contribute to.
Teaching
All courses & materials →Student projects
Open projects & past theses →I welcome expressions of interest from Bachelor's and Master's students at ETH Zürich (Computer Science and Cyber Security). I offer active, weekly supervision on research-grade topics across formal verification, privacy engineering, LLM security, and computational data analysis.
Open project listings will appear here. See the full students page for past theses and research interests.
Software & Datasets
Full list →I treat datasets and tools as first-class research outputs. Below is a selection of open-source software and datasets from my work.
Writing & media
Full list →Beyond academic publications, I write regularly for the press — most often in Le Grand Continent — on European politics, elections, and digital governance.
About
Full CV (PDF) →I am a researcher working at the intersection of computer science, law, and quantitative political science. I hold a doctorate in computer science (ETH Zürich, 2026), supervised by Prof. Dr. David Basin.
I am currently a Post-Doctoral Researcher at ETH Zürich's Information Security Group (until early 2027), where I work on formal methods for privacy, runtime enforcement, and regulatory compliance. From 2027, I will join Prof. Dr. Stefan Bechtold (Center for Law and Economics) as a postdoctoral researcher.
In parallel, I work as a political data analyst and author with Groupe d'études géopolitiques, where I lead the BLUE electoral bulletin project and have written 150+ pieces for Le Grand Continent on European politics and elections.
Outside research, I enjoy learning languages, hunting for old books, hiking through Graubünden, traveling by train, istening to classical music, baking cakes, and reading and writing on political theory.
Prof. Dr. David Basin, Daniel Galán Pascual, Prof. Dr. Srđan Krstić , Mattéo Lanoë , Dr. Leonardo Lima, Mihael Liskij, Nadia Markova , Dr. Jakob Merane, Hoàng Nguyễn, Lennard Reese , Dr. Aurore Sallard, Jesús Solano, Prof. Dr. Dmitriy Traytel
Service
Full service record →External reviewer and subreviewer for CAV, RV, and IEEE TDSC. Invited talks at the University of Copenhagen, MPI for Behavioral Economics (Bonn), and Yale University.