PPE Events Spring 2026

This semester, the David H. Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics will organize the following events and activities.

PPE Working Paper Series. The Center organizes a working paper series that allows PPE Core Faculty, PPE Research Fellows, and PPE Affiliated Faculty members to present some of their work in progress. The series offers a friendly and constructive environment for sharing and advancing preliminary research in PPE and is typically combined with a lunch with participants, including interested undergraduate and graduate students. For the lineup of speakers, please see the PPE Calendar.

PPE Cinema. The PPE Cinema welcomes faculty and students from across campus who are interested in watching and discussing great films. The PPE Cinema will screen “Triangle of Sadness” (January 29th), “The 400 Blows” (February 26th), and “Under the Skin” (March 19th). Together we watch movies and discuss the questions in philosophy, politics, and economics that they raise. For more information, please visit here.

PPE Research Speaker Series. The Center will host two PPE Research Speaker Series talks this semester. Jesse Crosson (Purdue University) will give a talk with the title “Taking Sides: Party Competition, Interest Group Strategy, and the Polarization of American Pluralism” on February 11, 2026, from 4-5:30pm, and Sudipta Sarangi (Virginia Tech) will give a talk (joint work with Suqin Ge), with the title “People from Historically Rice Growing Areas Do Better on Tests” on February 25, 2026, from 4-5:30pm. These talks are tailored to appeal to both faculty and students and provides time for discussion and interaction with the guest speaker. For more information, please see the PPE Calendar.

PPE Lunchtime Talk. The Center will host a PPE Lunchtime Talk with John Dalton (Wake Forest University) who will give a talk with the title “Creative Destruction and the Age of AI” on March 17, 2026, from 12:00pm-1:30pm in the Lury and Barbara Goodall Room in the Newman Library. All faculty, students, and members of the public are welcome to attend. Lunch will be served. Please RSVP (strongly recommended).

PPE Distinguished Public Lecture. This year’s PPE Distinguished Public Lecture will be delivered by Daron Acemoğlu (MIT), co-winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Economics. Professor Acemoğlu is a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Econometric Society, and the National Academy of Sciences. He also serves on the editorial boards of multiple leading economics journals and is a founding co-director of MIT’s Blueprint Labs. The virtual lecture will take place on April 8, 2025, from 5-6:30pm (Eastern Time). Advance registration is required for this event. Please see here for more information. All faculty, students, and members of the public are cordially invited to attend this event.

PPE Research Fellow Panel. At this panel discussion, current PPE Research Fellows Brianna Felegi, Sergio Barrera, and Phil Yaure will discuss their work on immigration enforcement, educational opportunities, and solidarity. The panel discussion will take place on April 22, 2026, from 4-5:30pm (Fralin Hall Auditorium). The discussion will be followed by a public reception.

PPE Undergraduate Research Journal. The editorial board of The Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Review (PPER) is pleased to announce that a new volume of the PPER will be published in the spring semester, featuring contributions from PPE students around the world. The volume will include contributions from PPE students at Virginia Tech and around the world. Here is more information about the scope, submission guidelines, and review process of the journal.

To learn more about these events and a complete list of upcoming events organized by the Center, please visit the PPE Calendar.

PPE events are open to the public and all faculty and students are cordially invited to attend.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact ppe@nullvt.edu at least ten business days before the event.