Catarina Sarmento e Castro
Professor of Constitutional and Digital Law, University of Coimbra
Catarina Sarmento e Castro is a Professor of Constitutional and Digital Law at the University of Coimbra and a leading expert in public law and data protection. She served as Portugal’s Minister of Justice (2022–2024), Secretary of State of Defence (2019–2022), and as a Judge on the Portuguese Constitutional Court (2010–2019). Her earlier roles include Board Member of the Portuguese Data Protection Authority (CNPD) and member of the Consultive Council of the Prosecutor General’s Office. She holds a Ph.D. in Juridical-Political Sciences, a master’s in public law, and a Law Degree from the University of Coimbra, with postgraduate studies at KU Leuven, Belgium. She is also a researcher at Instituto Jurídico and consultant to Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro Lawyers Bar Data Protection Commission. An accomplished author and international speaker, Dr. Sarmento e Castro has contributed significantly to constitutional law, digital governance, and public policy reform across Europe and Latin America.