PPE Research Speaker Series The Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics hosts a research speaker series where scholars from leading institutions in PPE worldwide present their most recent work to faculty and students at Virginia Tech. The research speaker series is central to the Center’s integration of research and teaching and has been established in 2015. Kaushik Basu Speaks on Democracy, Authoritarianism and Collective Moral Responsibility Alexander Motchoulski Speaks on Reparations, Recognition, and Relational Equality Christoph Lütge Speaks on Ethics and Artificial Intelligence In addition to attending the research talks, PPE students have the opportunity to go for lunch or dinner with guest speakers and thereby develop their academic and professional skills as well as have opportunities to network. The PPE Speaker Series provides an opportunity for students to apply concepts from the classroom to the real world. The talks allow students to practice their argumentation skills and push them to step outside of their intellectual comfort zone. The PPE Speaker Series is a stand out element of the program. After studying the original texts, to then have speakers come in and present on topics with which we could grapple and ask questions about was highly stimulating and a great experience. The PPE Speaker Series was fun, educational, and interactive. The talks were very well-presented and the speakers demonstrated even further knowledge of their expertise and the way it connects with other ideas in the Q&A sessions. PPE Research Fellow Panels The Center organizes panel discussions to promote the work of its past and present research fellows. The panels bring together faculty from different disciplines to engage in interdisciplinary research conversations. The panel discussions provide PPE Research Fellows with a forum to advance their work and share it with the PPE community on and off campus. Call for Applications: PPE Research Fellowships 2025-2026 Governance, Secrecy, and Social Networks PPE Research Fellow Focus: Nicholas Goedert 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 work in progress. The series offers a friendly and constructive environment for sharing and advancing preliminary research in PPE and is typically combined with, or followed by, a lunch with participants, including interested undergraduate and graduate students. PPE Conferences and Workshops The Center organizes and sponsors (inter)national conferences and workshops on themes and topics in PPE that bring together scholars who work on cutting-edge interdisciplinary research in PPE. The conferences and workshops offer scholars a valuable forum for feedback and discussion and are typically open to all faculty and students at Virginia Tech. See here for past and upcoming conferences and workshops. Conferences and Workshops PPE Distinguished Public Lecture The Center typically hosts an annual public lecture that is presented by a distinguished scholar of international reputation whose research carries significant social relevance and cuts across disciplinary boundaries. The lecture fosters dialogue among faculty, students, and the public about important problems that our society faces. American Legal Scholar Bruce Ackerman Speaks on Rebuilding Democracy MacArthur Fellow Elizabeth Anderson Speaks on Creating an Egalitarian Society Award-winning Cultural Theorist Kwame Anthony Appiah Speaks on Politics and Polarization The lecture is followed by a public reception where faculty and students can engage with the speaker in an informal setting. Past and present guest speakers include Kyoto Prize Winner Martha C. Nussbaum, Nobel Prize Winner Amartya Sen, New York Times bestselling author Dan Ariely, award-winning British historian Adam Tooze, Nobel Prize Winner Esther Duflo, award-winning philosopher, cultural theorist, and novelist Kwame Anthony Appiah, and MacArthur Fellow Grant Winner Elizabeth Anderson.
