Ronan Pons Receives the Paris Bar Medal for His Research on AI
Dr. Ronan Pons was awarded the Paris Bar Medal for 2024, which recognizes the best doctoral thesis in law written in French at a Faculty of Law.
His thesis, entitled La preuve en droit des systèmes d’intelligence artificielle (Evidence in the Law of Artificial Intelligence Systems), was supervised by Professor Céline Castets-Renard of the Civil Law Section and Dr. Jessica Eynard, Lecturer at the University Toulouse 1 Capitole.
Dr. Ronan Pons’s research focuses on digital law and artificial intelligence law, more specifically on questions of evidence and certification of AI systems in light of regulatory requirements.
“For me, the Paris Bar Award is recognition of the quality of my work. But beyond my thesis, this award also demonstrates the genuine interest of the legal community in interdisciplinary scientific research,” said Pons, who is now a research engineer in law at the University of Haute-Alsace in France.
Zoé Schwindt Wins the Embassy of France Award for Her Work on the Metaverse
LL.M. graduate Zoé Schwindt was awarded the Embassy of France Prize for 2024–2025 for her thesis Les enjeux de protection des droits de marques dans le Métaverse (The Challenges of Trademark Protection in the Metaverse), written under the supervision of Professor Florian Martin-Bariteau.
This award is presented annually to the best master’s thesis or research paper written in French at the Faculty of Law.
“Receiving the Embassy of France Prize is an honour and represents strong encouragement for me to persevere in pursuing my academic journey,” said Schwindt.
By examining trademark protection in the metaverse, a network of immersive digital environments, she highlighted the concrete challenges that new digital spaces pose for existing legal frameworks. She will continue her research as a doctoral student at the Faculty of Law beginning in January 2026.
These distinctions highlight the vitality of French-language research at the Faculty of Law and the quality of mentorship provided by our professors. The Faculty community warmly congratulates Ronan Pons and Zoé Schwindt, along with their supervisors, on their remarkable achievements.