About the Ethical Advisory Board
The SHIELD project’s Ethical Advisory Board (EAB) brings together independent experts with strong backgrounds in AI ethics, law, data protection, cybersecurity, and responsible innovation. The Board provides external guidance on the ethical and regulatory dimensions of the project, supporting the consortium in aligning its activities with European values and applicable legal frameworks.
Its role is to offer feedback and recommendations on key project developments, ensuring that ethical considerations are effectively integrated throughout the project lifecycle. This includes aspects such as data governance, transparency, fairness, accountability, security, and compliance with relevant regulations, including the AI Act and GDPR.
The EAB meets periodically to review progress, discuss emerging challenges, and provide constructive input on selected project results and deliverables. In doing so, it acts as an independent sounding board, helping to strengthen the quality, credibility, and societal impact of the SHIELD project.
Jacopo Ziffer
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Jacopo Ziffer is an accomplished attorney admitted to the Milan Bar, specializing in digital law, global data protection, and emerging technology compliance. He currently serves as the Head of Privacy, AI & Cyber Compliance at Eni S.p.A., where he orchestrates group-wide programs, structures privacy governance operating models, and navigates complex regulatory frameworks like the EU AI Act and NIS2. Throughout his career, Jacopo has built a robust track record in cross-border tech compliance and commercial operations. His background includes serving as a legal secondee for Alibaba.com, where he managed EMEA-region commercial agreements and aligned data transfers with China HQ, and working as a specialized privacy and IT lawyer at the prestigious law firm BonelliErede. Passionate about the intersection of law and technology, Jacopo also shares his expertise with academia. He serves as a guest lecturer for the LLM program at Bocconi University, focusing on international data transfers , and has previously tutored at the University of Milan on fundamental online rights. He holds a Master’s degree in Law with a major in IT Law from the University of Trento.
Dr. Valeria Cesaroni
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Dr. Valeria Cesaroni is a highly interdisciplinary researcher and consultant working at the vanguard of AI governance, ethics, socio-technical systems, and education. She possesses extensive experience leading qualitative research and impact assessments for major European frameworks, serving as a Lead Researcher, Ethics Manager, and independent expert for numerous Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects (including HEDGE-IoT, ASSISTANCE, and IRIS). Currently, she coordinates the Fairness, Bias, and Explainability work package for the OptimAIse Horizon Europe project, translating AI Act and GDPR obligations into technical workflows for generative AI. Valeria’s research focuses deeply on how digital technologies and AI interact with social institutions. She recently spearheaded the scientific leadership of the ARTIS Project, co-designing an NLP-based educational platform for children with reading disorders, and she frequently designs critical AI literacy curricula for educators. She holds a PhD in Human Sciences from the University of Perugia, where her doctoral work explored the socio-technical hybridization of educational systems. A widely published academic, Valeria is an editorial board member for the peer-reviewed journal Pólemos and has been awarded prestigious research fellowships from the Italian Institute for Philosophical Studies (IISF). She holds both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Philosophy summa cum laude from Sapienza University of Rome and is fluent in Italian, English, and Spanish.