# Faculty ## Regular Faculty [### Jeff Behrends ](/people/jeff-behrends) Senior Research Scholar and Associate Senior Lecturer on Philosophy Research Interests: Practical Normativity, Moral Epistemology, Ethics of AI Jeff Behrends joined the department in 2016, after completing his PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and then teaching for three years at Illinois State University. He has... ![Jeff Behrends](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/071425_AI-Philosophy-JeffBehrends_039_my.edits%20.jpg?itok=pmv3bSgW) [### Selim Berker ](/people/selim-berker) Alford Professor of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy, and Civil Polity Research Interests: Ethics, Epistemology, Metaphysics Selim Berker is Alford Professor of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy, and Civil Polity in the Department of Philosophy. A lapsed physicist, Berker started his graduate training in physics before... ![Selim Berker](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/berker_1_1.jpg?itok=czqqisx9) [### Cheryl Chen ](/people/cheryl-chen) Senior Lecturer on Philosophy Research Interests: Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics, and Philosophy of Religion Cheryl Chen received her Ph.D. in philosophy from UC Berkeley and taught at Bryn Mawr College before coming to Harvard in 2006. She works mainly in epistemology... ![faculty_chen.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/faculty_chen.jpg?itok=Uq7XsXfd) [### Edward J. Hall ](/people/edward-j-hall) Director of Undergraduate Studies Norman E. Vuilleumier Professor of Philosophy Research Interests: Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Philosophy of Science I work on a range of topics in metaphysics and epistemology that overlap with philosophy of science. (Which is to say: the *best* topics in metaphysics and epistemology.) Are there... ![faculty_hall_0_0_0.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/faculty_hall_0_0_0.jpg?itok=fMLs1l81) [### Reier Helle ](/people/reier-helle) Assistant Professor of Philosophy Research interests: Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy, Metaphysics, Early Modern Philosophy, Philosophy of Action Reier Helle received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 2020. His primary research focus is ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, and he has a... ![Reier Helle](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/R.%20Helle.jpeg?itok=HTNXAYLm) [### Zoë Johnson King ](/people/zo%C3%AB-johnson-king) John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Humanities Associate Professor of Philosophy Research Interests: Ethics, Epistemology, Metaethics (esp. Moral Psychology) In crudest summary, I write about being a good person in a bad and confusing world. Most of my work falls within what I call *non-ideal moral psychology*, by which I mean that I am... ![Zoe Johnson King portrait](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/zoe_johnson_king.jpg?itok=dQwxewPb) [### Sean Kelly ](/people/sean-kelly) Teresa G. and Ferdinand F. Martignetti Professor of Philosophy Harvard College Professor Dean of Arts and Humanities Research Interests: Post-Kantian European philosophy (esp. Phenomenology and Existentialism), Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Perception, Philosophy of Literature Sean Kelly earned an Sc.B. in Mathematics and Computer Science and an M.S. in Cognitive... ![Sean Kelly profile photo](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/sean_2017.jpg?itok=sE3twtKl) [### Peter Koellner ](/people/peter-koellner) Walter Beverly Pearson Professor of Modern Mathematics and Mathematical Logic Professor of Philosophy Research Interests: Mathematical Logic, Set Theory, and the Philosophy of Mathematics Peter Koellner joined the department in 2003 after receiving his Ph.D from MIT. His main areas of research are mathematical logic ­- primarily set theory -­ and the... ![unknown.png](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/unknown.png?itok=SXNWYOXC) [### Samantha Matherne ](/people/samantha-matherne) Professor of Philosophy On Leave AY25-26 Research Interests: Kant, Phenomenology, Neo-Kantianism, Aesthetics, Perception Samantha Matherne’s primary research interests lie in exploring the reciprocal relationship between perception and aesthetics. She approaches these issues largely through a... ![samantha matherne](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/fac_matherne-2018.jpg?itok=RvDc6pYT) [### Jeffrey McDonough ](/people/jeffrey-mcdonough) Department Chair Young J. Lee and Young Ju Rhee Professor of Philosophy Director of the Harvard History of Philosophy Workshop Research Interests: Early Modern Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Medieval Philosophy, Metaphysics, and Epistemology Jeffrey McDonough joined the department in 2005 after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine. His primary areas of... ![Jeff McDonough](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/sweater_just_head_shot_by_rose_cropped_but_not_tight.jpg?itok=WmRqkLTl) [### Bernhard Nickel ](/people/bernhard-nickel) Professor of Philosophy On Leave AY25-26 Research Interests: Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics Bernhard Nickel’s research centers in the philosophy of language, working on the semantics of natural language. He is particularly interested in how... ![Bernhard Nickel](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/fac_nickel-2019-cropped.jpg?itok=OcQEVrVF) [### Parimal G. Patil ](/people/parimal-patil) Wales Professor of Sanskrit Professor of Religion and Indian Philosophy On Leave AY25-26 Research Interests: History of Philosophy in India, Buddhist Philosophy, Old and New Epistemologists, Epistemology, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Religion, Sanskrit Aesthetics I work on a wide range of topics in Sanskrit philosophy, though I am particularly... ![parimal1_500_0.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/parimal1_500_0.jpg?itok=goy7A3sX) [### Mark Richard ](/people/mark-richard) Director of Graduate Studies Professor of Philosophy Research Interests: Philosophy of Language, Social Philosophy, Philosophical Logic, Metaphysics, and Epistemology. Professor Mark Richard joined the Department in the Fall of 2010; previously he was the Lenore Stern Professor in the Humanities and Social... ![faculty_richard.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/faculty_richard.jpg?itok=6xBz2bG1) [### Susanna Rinard ](/people/susanna-rinard) Professor of Philosophy Research Interests: Epistemology, Philosophy of Science, and Formal Epistemology The goal of Susanna Rinard's research is to determine what we should believe—in science, philosophy, and everyday life—and how probability can be used to model rational belief... ![susanna rinard](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/susanna_rinard_-_head.jpg?itok=wW2tmzZp) [### Gina Schouten ](/people/gina-schouten) Professor of Philosophy Research Interests: Political Philosophy, Ethics, Feminist Philosophy, Philosophy of Education I received my PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, after which I taught at Illinois State University for three years before coming to Harvard. My... ![Gina Schouten](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/schouten_photo.jpg?itok=ba8yJjsu) [### Amartya Sen ](/people/amartya-sen) Thomas W. Lamont University Professor Research Interests: Economics and Economic Theory, Ethics, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Law Amartya Sen is Thomas W Lamont University Professor, and Professor of Economics and Philosophy, at Harvard University and was until 2004 the Master of... ![faculty_sen.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/faculty_sen.jpg?itok=CiU2z1sV) [### Tommie Shelby ](/people/tommie-shelby) Caldwell Titcomb Professor of African and African American Studies and of Philosophy Lee Simpkins Family Professor of Arts and Sciences On Leave AY25-26 Research Interests: social and political philosophy, history of black political thought, philosophy of race, and social theory Tommie Shelby received his B.A. from Florida A & M University (1990) and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh (1998). Prior to... ![Tommie Shelby](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/img_4109.jpeg?itok=1PxQtZrd) [### Susanna Siegel ](/people/susanna-siegel) Edgar Pierce Professor of Philosophy Research Interests: Philosophy of Mind, Epistemology, Political Philosophy Susanna Siegel received her PhD from Cornell University. Her books *The Contents of Visual Experience* (2010) and *The Rationality of Perception* (2017) were both published by Oxford... ![susanna siegel](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/faculty_siegel.jpg?itok=i_T9gv1Q) [### Alison Simmons ](/people/alison-simmons) Samuel H. Wolcott Professor of Philosophy Research Interests: Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Perception, Early Modern Philosophy Alison Simmons received her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1994. The bulk of her teaching is in early modern philosophy, natural philosophy, and... ![alison simmons](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/fac_simmons-2019.jpg?itok=DE5sS1lf) [### Lucas Stanczyk ](/people/lucas-stanczyk) Associate Professor of Philosophy On Leave AY25-26 Lucas Stanczyk works on topics at the intersection of political philosophy and political economy. His book manuscript develops a theory of justice in production. His other research and teaching is focused on ethical problems in global energy policy, and... ![Lucas Stanczyk](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/faculty_stanczyk.jpg?itok=rVCdEvML) [### Quinn White ](/people/quinn-white) Assistant Professor of Philosophy Research Interests: Ethics, Metaethics, Applied Ethics, Metaphysics Quinn did his undergraduate work at Yale and received his Ph.D. from MIT in 2019. His work explores the ethics of interpersonal relationships and of love. You can find his personal website... ![Quinn White portrait](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/quinn_white.jpg?itok=x3vkLP_X) [### W. Hugh Woodin ](/people/w-hugh-woodin) Professor of Philosophy and of Mathematics Research Interests: Logic and Foundations of Mathematics, Philosophy of Logic, Philosophy of Mathematics, Set Theory ![faculty_woodin.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/faculty_woodin.jpg?itok=PODzmSE_) ## Affiliated Faculty [### Danielle Allen ](/people/danielle-allen)James Bryant Conant University Professor Director of Edmond J Safra Center for Ethics Danielle Allen is James Bryant Conant University Professor and Director of the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Ethics . She is a professor of political philosophy, ethics, and public policy. She is also a seasoned nonprofit leader, democracy advocate... ![Danielle Allen](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/danielle_allen_-_headshot.jpg?itok=jBYUT7B0) [### Eric Beerbohm ](/people/eric-beerbohm) Professor of Government Eric Beerbohm is Alfred and Rebecca Lin Professor of Government and Faculty Affiliate in the Department of Philosophy at Harvard University. He serves as Faculty Director of the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics, Faculty Dean at Quincy House, and... ![Eric Beerbohm](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/beerbohm_photo.jpg?itok=5zqbi4CH) [### Gennaro Chierchia ](/people/gennaro-chierchia) Haas Foundations Professor of Linguistics Department of Linguistics Gennaro Chierchia has spent his intellectual life studying how meaning takes shape in language. A common thread in his work is the idea/claim/speculation that a logic (a way of drawing inferences) spontaneously grows and latches on to the syntactic... ![gennaro_chierchia.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/gennaro_chierchia.jpg?itok=IrZgn9-h) [### Ryan Doerfler ](/people/ryan-doerfler) Professor of Law Harvard Law School Ryan Doerfler’s research focuses on the role of the judiciary within a democratic system. His recent work includes a critical reassessment of the embrace of judicial review within the liberal legal tradition and an analysis of the relationship between... ![Ryan Doerfler](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/11854.jpg?itok=ie98YOs6) [### Benjamin Eidelson ](/people/benjamin-eidelson) Professor of Law Harvard Law School Benjamin Eidelson is a Professor of Law and Affiliate Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University. He is a scholar of public law and issues at the intersection of law and philosophy, with research and teaching interests cutting across constitutional law... ![Ben Eidelson](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/11948.jpg?itok=AEaEldd2) [### Khaled El-Rouayheb ](/people/khaled-el-rouayheb) Professor of Islamic Intellectual History Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Research Interests: Arabic Philosophy, Islamic Philosophical Theology, History of Logic Khaled El-Rouayheb is a Professor of Islamic Intellectual History at the Department of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations at Harvard University. His research... ![khaled el-rouayheb](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/affiliate_rouayheb.jpg?itok=rmHn3xCi) [### Peter Galison ](/people/peter-galison) Joseph Pellegrino University Professor Department of the History of Science Director, Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments Research Interests: History and Philosophy of Physics, History and Philosophy of Environment, Theoretical approaches to History of Science The central component of Peter Galison's work involves the exploration of twentieth century microphysics (atomic... ![peter galison](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/affiliate_galison.jpg?itok=9O8a-sgH) [### Peter E. Gordon ](/people/peter-gordon) Amabel B. James Professor of History Department of History Research Interests: Critical Theory, the Frankfurt School (Adorno, Habermas), Existentialism, Modern French and German Social Thought Peter E. Gordon is the Amabel B. James Professor of History, Faculty Affiliate in the Department of Germanic Languages and... ![peter gordon](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/affiliate_gordon.jpg?itok=TU6i_KcC) [### Christopher Lewis ](/people/christopher-lewis) Assistant Professor of Law Harvard Law School My research is about how the law (especially the criminal law) can be more fairly and efficiently administered in response to social and economic inequality. Before joining the law school faculty, I was a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows. I... ![Christopher Lewis](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/12087.jpg?itok=vZxAKJob) [### Mathias Risse ](/people/matthias-risse) [mathias\_risse@harvard.edu](mailto:mathias_risse@harvard.edu)Berthold Beitz Professor in Human Rights, Global Affairs and Philosophy Harvard Kennedy School Mathias Risse is Lucius N. Littauer Professor of Philosophy and Public Administration and Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University. His work primarily addresses questions of global justice ranging from human rights... ![mathias risse](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/affiliate_risse-2016.jpg?itok=Ws82190y) [### Michael Rosen ](/people/michael-rosen) Professor of Government Department of Government Michael Rosen is a professor of political theory in the Government Department and has worked on a wide variety of topics in philosophy, social theory and the history of ideas. He is particularly interested in 19th and 20th century European philosophy and... ![m_rosen.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/m_rosen.jpg?itok=CmZyaOnT) [### Stuart Shieber ](/people/stuart-shieber) James O. Welch, Jr. and Virginia B. Welch Professor of Computer Science Stuart Shieber is a computer scientist whose primary research area is computational linguistics, the study of natural language from the standpoint of computer science. Research in the field pursues both scientific and engineering goals, undergirded by... ![Stuart Shieber](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/stuart_shieber.jpg?itok=0SJmvtFe) ## Associated Faculty [### Jacob Barandes ](/people/jacob-barandes) [jacob\_barandes@harvard.edu](mailto:jacob_barandes@harvard.edu)Senior Preceptor in Physics I work in philosophy of physics, broadly construed. I'm especially interested in quantum foundations, the classical limit, the philosophy of (space)time, the metaphysics of laws, the nature of probability and causation, and the formal and logical... ![Jacob Barandes portrait](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_scale_small/public/phildept/files/jacobbarandes.jpg?itok=-DVzEPMQ) ## Lecturers and Postdoctoral Fellows [### Remei Capdevila Werning ](/people/remei-capdevila-werning) Lecturer on Philosophy Allston Burr Resident Dean of Harvard College, Winthrop House Research interests: Aesthetics, philosophy of architecture, philosophical issues of preservation and geoheritage Remei Capdevila Werning received her Ph.D. from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and a SMArchS in History, Theory, and Criticism of... ![Remei Capdevila Werning portrait](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/remei.jpeg?itok=pQFHenVT) [### Huzeyfe Demirtas ](/people/huzeyfe-demirtas) Postdoctoral Fellow in Embedded EthiCS My primary research interests are moral responsibility, free will, ethics of AI, and applied ethics (esp. environmental ethics). I'm also interested in metaphysics of causation. I was born in Turkey and am a dual citizen of Turkey and the United States. I... ![Huzeyfe Demirtas](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/img_3618.jpg?itok=MImb-lAO) [### Matthew Kopec ](/people/matthew-kopec) Program Director and Lecturer, Embedded EthiCS Matt is the Program Director for Embedded EthiCS@Harvard, an educational program that embeds short modules on the ethical and social implications of computing technologies into courses across Harvard's CS curriculum. He holds an MA from Virginia Tech... ![Kopec](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/profile-picture.jpeg?itok=6VOPvZ9L) [### Quyen Pham ](/people/quyen-pham) Lecturer in Philosophy Research interests: Metaphysics, Social Philosophy, Philosophy of Gender, Philosophy of Race Quyen Pham received her PhD in Philosophy from the University of Southern California in 2024. Her primary interests lie in the intersection between metaphysics... ![Quyen Pham](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/pham_-_photo.jpg?itok=JJ7eymcT) [### Michael Pope ](/people/michael-pope) Postdoctoral Fellow in Embedded EthiCS Michael is a postdoc in the Embedded EthiCS program. His primary research interests lie at the intersections of epistemology, applied ethics, and philosophy of science. He is particularly interested in the nature and normativity of trust and... ![Michael Pope](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/pope_garden_headshot_01.jpg?itok=MiF7qsZa) [### Seth Robertson ](/people/seth-robertson) Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies Lecturer in Philosophy Research Interests: Ethics, Moral Psychology, History of Ethics, and Early Chinese Philosophy Seth Robertson received his PhD in 2019 from the University of Oklahoma. He was a Dissertation Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Human... ![seth robertson](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_scale_small/public/phildept/files/postdoc_robertson-2019.jpg?itok=DsG3n7ng) ## Emeritus/a Faculty [### Warren Goldfarb ](/people/warren-goldfarb) Walter Beverly Pearson Professor of Modern Mathematics and Mathematical Logic, Emeritus Research Interests: Mathematical Logic, Development of Analytic Philosophy, Philosophical Logic, and Metaphysics Warren Goldfarb, W. B. Pearson Professor of Modern Mathematics and Mathematical Logic, received his A.B. and Ph.D. from Harvard and has been on... ![warren goldfarb](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/faculty_goldfarb-2015_1_0.jpg?itok=2CfbsoPy) [### Christine M. Korsgaard ](/people/christine-korsgaard) [christine\_korsgaard@harvard.edu](mailto:christine_korsgaard@harvard.edu)Arthur Kingsley Porter Research Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus Research Interests: Moral Philosophy and its history, Practical Reason, Agency, Personal Identity, and Human/Animal Relations Christine M Korsgaard (PhD Harvard, 1981) works on moral philosophy and its history, practical reason, agency, personal identity... ![faculty_korsgaard.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/faculty_korsgaard.jpg?itok=XeSMB3ck) [### Richard Moran ](/people/richard-moran) Brian D. Young Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus Research Interests: Philosophy of Mind, Moral Psychology, Aesthetics, Philosophy of Literature, later Wittgenstein Professor Richard Moran received his Ph.D. from Cornell in 1989 and began teaching at Princeton, coming to Harvard in 1995. His interests... ![faculty_moran.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/faculty_moran.jpg?itok=9HQ3XJMQ) [### Thomas M. Scanlon ](/people/thomas-m-scanlon) Alford Professor of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy, and Civil Polity, Emeritus Research Interests: ethics, history of ethics, theories of justice and equality, and political philosophy T.M. Scanlon is Alford Professor of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy, and Civil Polity. He received his B.A. from Princeton in 1962 and his Ph.D... ![faculty_scanlon.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/faculty_scanlon.jpg?itok=n0W2qLWS) [### Gisela Striker ](/people/gisela-striker) Walter C. Klein Professor of Philosophy and of the Classics, Emerita Professor Striker holds a joint appointment with the Department of Classics. She was born and educated in Germany (Dr. Phil., University of Göttingen). She taught philosophy at Göttingen from 1971-1986, at Columbia University from 1986 to 1989, and at... ![gisela striker](/sites/g/files/omnuum4436/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/phildept/files/110700_striker_gisela_03_2.jpg?itok=a8pCOjvp)