Burcu Kilic

Burcu Kilic is a senior fellow at the Center for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and a tech and human rights fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. She has worked with a wide range of organizations across civil society, philanthropy, and academia. Her research and writings cover tech policy, intellectual property, and trade, and she has provided technical advice and assistance in countries across Asia, Latin America, Europe, and Africa.

As the former head of policy at Frontier Technology—a Minderoo Foundation initiative—Burcu shaped the organization’s approach to emerging technology, championing responsible, equitable, and just solutions. Before joining Minderoo, she directed the Digital Rights Program at Public Citizen, a non- profit consumer advocacy organization in Washington, DC, and also led their research on access to medicines.

Her influence in tech policy, intellectual property, and trade underscores her commitment to policy entrepreneurship and rights-based advocacy. In 2015, she was recognized as one of the 300 Women Leaders in Global Health for her work on health and trade policy. From 2021 to 2022, she was a practitioner fellow with the Digital Civil Society Lab at Stanford University. Burcu completed her Ph.D. at Queen Mary University of London and holds LL.M. degrees in intellectual property law from Queen Mary University of London and information technology law from Stockholm University. She obtained her law degree from Ankara University.