David U. Socol de la Osa

David U. Socol de la Osa is an Assistant Professor in the Legal Innovation Department at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo and a Senior Associate at the University of Oxford’s Oxford EARTH programme. His work focuses on the governance of emerging technologies and global resources, with particular attention to AI regulation, international economic law and geopolitics, and critical mineral governance.

Trained as a lawyer, David holds a JD and an LLM from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a specialisation in Business Economics and Public Policy from the Wharton School. He has professional experience in cross-border corporate practice at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Latham & Watkins LLP, and has held visiting research positions at institutions including Carlos III University of Madrid and the National University of Singapore. His research engages closely with policy institutions and international organizations globally, aiming to support ethical and effective governance frameworks for emerging technologies and international economic systems.