Nicoletta V. Kolpakov is the Director of the Cirrus Institute. She is a legal researcher and policy analyst whose work focuses on the governance of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, blockchain, and digital finance. Her research examines how legal systems adapt to rapid technological change, with particular attention to cross-border compliance, privacy, and algorithmic accountability. She has written on blockchain-based sanctions evasion, AI-enabled payments, and the legal implications of agentic AI systems, with publications in the Wall Street Journal, the International Legal Technology Association Journal, and various bar association journals.

Nicoletta holds a J.D. from New York Law School, where she studied under senior judges of the United States Court of International Trade and focused on international regulatory frameworks for digital assets. She regularly advises on AI policy, data governance, and digital infrastructure, bridging research, law, and public-interest technology.