Dr. Lena Leffer
Contact
Dr. Lena Leffer
Franz-von-Liszt-Haus, 3. Etage
Universitätsplatz 6
06108 Halle (Saale)
Curriculum vitae
Lena Leffer holds a doctoral degree in law, and her research focuses on the current challenges of criminal law in the digital era, particularly at the intersection of criminal law, digitalization, and artificial intelligence.
As part of the BMBF-funded project "MaLeFiz " (Machine Learning for the Identification of Conspicuous Financial Transactions), she collaborates with computer scientists from Fraunhofer SIT to develop an innovative AI for detecting money laundering. Her interdisciplinary dissertation, titled "Automated Suspicion Algorithms: Law Enforcement through Artificial Intelligence, Using the Example of Money Laundering," closely examines the legal aspects of the research project and establishes minimum requirements for the application of AI within the realm of law enforcement.
Lena Leffer completed her law degree at Saarland University. During her legal clerkship at the Higher Regional Court of Saarland, she gained practical experience at international law firms such as Hogan Lovells and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.
From 2016 to 2022, she served initially as a student assistant and later as a research assistant and lecturer at the Chair of Legal Informatics at Saarland University and the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security. At the Chair of Legal Informatics, she led several externally funded projects, including "EVAREST ," which focused on the use of data products in the food industry, and "PAIRS ," a project on AI-supported prediction and management of crises.
From 2021 to 2023, Lena Leffer was the Managing Director of the Deutscher EDV-Gerichtstag e.V. In this capacity, she made significant contributions to statements on federal legislative projects and facilitated participation in international committees, including the UN Office on Drugs & Crime's Ad Hoc Committee on Cybercrime.
In addition to her research, Lena Leffer is actively engaged in science communication. She has been interviewed multiple times by national media outlets such as Tagesschau and ARD documentaries, particularly on issues like cyberstalking and digital violence.
List of Publications and Presentations
Publikationsverzeichnis Leffer.pdf
(115 KB) vom 08.01.2025
Press
Interview on Deutschlandfunk on 26.2.2025 (link ) on the “Swatting phenomenon - when cyberbullies abuse the emergency call”.
Interview in the ARD documentary "Report Mainz" on 9/5/2023 (link to documentary ) on "Tracking devices: Stalking with AirTags and SmartTags".
Interview in the SWR documentary "Vollbild" on 4/25/2023 (link to documentary ) about cyberstalking and digital violence using Apple AirTags and smart trackers.
Media echo on this among others:
- tagesschau.de: "Tracker increasingly abused for stalking" (link ) on 4/25/2023.
- SWR: "Full screen: More and more stalking cases with Bluetooth trackers" from 4/25/2023.
- daserste.de: "More and more stalking cases with Bluetooth trackers like Apple AirTags" from 4/25/2023.