People

Sergio Tenenbaum is the Director of the Centre for Ethics and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Jerusalem in the Fall of 2011, Visiting Fellow at Magdalen College, Oxford University in the Spring of 2012, Visiting Professor at Université Paris I (Pantheon-Sorbonne) March 2016, and Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University in August 2019. He is the author of Appearances of the Good (Cambridge University Press, 2007), and Rational Powers in Action (Oxford 2021) as well as the editor of Desire, Practical Reason, and the Good (Oxford University Press, 2010), Moral Psychology (Rodopi, 2007), and co-editor (together with Chrisoula Andreou) of Belief, Action, and Rationality over Time (Routledge 2016). 

William Paris is an Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of Toronto. He is also an Associate Editor for the journal Critical Philosophy of Race. His research focuses on History of African American philosophy, 20th century continental philosophy, and political philosophy.  He has published on Frantz Fanon and Gender, Sylvia Wynter’s phenomenology of imagination, and C.L.R. James and Hannah Arendt. He is also at work on his book manuscript Racial Justice and Forms of Life: Towards a Critical Theory of Utopia (under contract with Oxford University Press) that aims to provide a novel theory of racial justice that focuses on the imperative of collective control over our shared social time in a new form of life and the transformation of our conceptions of rights. 

Dr. Karina Vold is an Assistant Professor at the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University of Toronto. She is also a Research Lead at the U of T Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society, an AI2050 Early Career Fellow with the Schmidt Sciences Foundation, a Faculty Associate at the U of T Centre for Ethics, and an Associate Fellow at the University of Cambridge’s Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence. She specializes in Philosophy of Cognitive Science and Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence, with research interested in cognitive enhancement, human autonomy, and the ethics and safety of AI.  

Sareh Pouryousefi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Law & Business at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University. She holds a PhD in philosophy from the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on the philosophy of trust, professional ethics, and the normative foundations of business ethics, and her work has appeared in such journals as Philosophical Studies, Utilitas, Inquiry, and Business Ethics Quarterly. 

Biography coming soon.

Maggie O’Brien is Assistant Professor in Philosophy at York University in Toronto. She works in social, political, legal and feminist philosophy. She has published articles in the Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Ergo, and Legal Theory, among other venues. Her current projects focus on issues concerning standing, stalking, and privacy. Her work is supported by a SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2026–28).

Miron J. Clay-Gilmore is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Centre for Ethics at the University of Toronto. He is the first Black philosopher to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Edinburgh. His research examines the racialized applications of artificial intelligence, big data, and predictive policing within broader regimes of counterinsurgency and state violence. Drawing from Africana philosophy, Black Male Studies, and the thought of Dr. Huey P. Newton, his work explores how emerging technologies reproduce militarized systems of racial control. Dr. Clay-Gilmore has published in AI and Ethics, Res Philosophica, and The Journal of African American Studies.

Yiran works on ethics and aesthetics. Before coming to Toronto, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Ethics and the Common Good. She received her doctorate from Brown University, and her BA from UNC-Chapel Hill. When doing philosophy, Yiran thinks about intimacy, love and beauty, and social/political relationships. She also has research interests in tech ethics, feminist philosophy, and Chinese philosophy. When not doing philosophy, Yiran is a creative writer.

Biography coming soon.

William Lloyd Gregson is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto. He specializes in political theory, especially critical theory and the history of political thought. William's dissertation focuses on the relationship between freedom and recognition and explores how intersubjective recognition is vital for achieving freedom even as it has the potential to inculcate new forms of dependence. His work can be found in The American Journal of Political Science, Political Theory, The Review of Metaphysics, and Hegel Bulletin. 

Allison is an SJD student in the Faculty of Law. Her research focuses on the relationship between accessory liability in private law and moral responsibility. Allison was called to the Bars of Alberta and Ontario in 2022. She previously served as a judicial law clerk at the Court of Appeal of Alberta and at the Supreme Court of Canada in the chambers of the Honourable Mary T. Moreau. She also worked as a lawyer in private practice. Allison holds an LLM from the University of Cambridge, a JD from the University of Alberta, an MSc in Molecular Genetics from the University of Toronto, and a BSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Alberta. 

Tom is an SJD student in the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. His research interest is in criminal law theory, particularly in normative sentencing theory. His current project focuses on the interactions between the political commitments embodied in constitutionalism and the normative, institutional, and procedural dimensions of sentencing. He is a member of the Law Societies of Alberta and Saskatchewan and is returning to academic life after eight years in legal practice as a prosecutor. He holds a Master of Laws from the University Toronto, a Master of Arts in Philosophy from Queen’s University, and a JD from the University of Alberta.

Quinton V. Peralta-Greenough is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto. He specializes in political theory, namely within the history of political thought. Peralta-Greenough's dissertation develops a socially embedded conception of moderation as an essential virtue for political life; more than a bland centrism, moderation is taken as a cultivated disposition ordered toward the mutual intelligibility and transmission of common practices. This argument develops out of a synthetic interpretation of the thought of Alasdair MacIntyre and Michael Oakeshott. Peralta-Greenough has published on debates regarding the meaning of "conservative" and developments in twentieth-century liberalism.  

Madalyn Hay is a PhD Candidate in the Political Science department. Her research interrogates political actors use of legal concepts to contest political authority and enact new social and political forms. She approaches this interest in the history of political thought and contemporary political practice through a combination of theoretical, qualitative, historical, and archival methods. She holds a joint B.A.H in Classics and Contemporary Studies from the University of King’s College, and an M.A in Political Theory from the University of Chicago. 

Alex Drusda is a PhD Candidate in the Philosophy Department at the University of Toronto. He works primarily at the intersection of German Idealism and social and political philosophy. His dissertation clarifies Hegel's contributions to political philosophy by appeal to Hegel's systematic commitments (specifically, the foundational role of Hegel's 'Logic'). Alex has related interests in the ethics and political economy of German Idealism, as well as the critical appropriation of Hegelian concepts ('alienation,' 'second nature,' 'dialectics') in post-Hegelian thought 

Callum Shepard is a PhD Candidate in the department of Political Science at the University of Toronto. He specializes in political theory, especially democratic theory, critical theory, and critical political economy. Callum's dissertation looks at how settler-citizenship is constructed through Indigenous dispossession, fee simple property, and common lands in the Canadian context. The dissertation bridges critical Indigenous theory, political economy, and law in order to analyze, understand, and situate contemporary settler-responses to Indigenous land-claims, rights-claims, and advances in self-government. 

Farzad is a sixth-year undergraduate pursuing a specialist in philosophy, a minor in classical civilizations, and a minor in mathematics. His philosophical interests are broadly in Ancient Greek philosophy (Plato, Aristotle), epistemology, history of philosophy, and (meta)ethics. He is also interested in Ancient Greek language, history, and society; literature; and mathematics (set theory) 

 Ariana is a fourth-year student at Trinity College, majoring in Ethics, Society & Law and Women & Gender Studies. Her academic interests span a variety of disciplines, with a particular focus on the intersection of feminist theory and law. She is especially interested in how legal frameworks construct ideas of reasonableness, agency, and victimhood, from the “reasonable person” standard in self-defence law, to the experiences of “imperfect victims.” A passion for Formula 1 has also found its way into her academic work! She recently researched the socio-legal implications of F1’s governing body, examining the regulation of driver expression and the question of how a private sporting institution can exercise significant power over those competing within its jurisdiction. This past February, she had the privilege of presenting this topic at the Trinity College Undergraduate Research Conference. In her spare time, she can be found in a coffee shop, with a good book and a matcha latte!

Biography coming soon.

Biography coming soon.

Yibing Ju is a fifth-year undergraduate student specializing in Computer Science with a focus in AI as well as Mathematical Applications in Economics and Finance. Her research is interested in understanding and modelling social dynamics from a variety of perspectives, including multi-agent systems, social choice, and AI alignment. Her prior work includes studies in human-computer interaction in puzzle-solving, multi-agent reinforcement learning for social cognition, and most recently applications of algorithmic fairness in democratic opinion summarization. She is currently a mentor in the CSSU Undergraduate Student Research Program. In her free time, she enjoys indie games and digital art. 

Biography coming soon.

Hannah is a fourth-year Philosophy student majoring in Bioethics at the University of Toronto. Currently, she is invested in ethical issues within disability and human rights, and examining the role of medicine and technology in furthering these values. In particular, she is curious to explore: How do existing systems of knowledge reaffirm discriminatory narratives and power structures? How can knowledge dissemination and knowledge collaboration instead be designed to combat systematic oppression? In what ways do issues of credibility and institutional authority in academia, science, and technology—as information powerhouses—relate to issues of epistemic injustice and epistemic violence towards marginalized identities? Besides this, Hannah likes to unwind by watching psychological thrillers and horror movies. 

Skyler is a fourth-year student studying Information Science at the University of Toronto, passionate about the intersection of technology, society, and education. Her prior research as a Jackman Scholar-in-Residence examined the privatization of public spaces in North America while her current work as a Reach Alliance Researcher explores Telesat’s role in bridging Canada’s digital divide. Her academic interests include interdisciplinary education, design studies, algorithmic bias, and AI governance. She is also increasingly interested in information behaviour and the ways in which individuals can navigate the challenges of a datafied society. 

Amelia is a 4th-year student majoring in Public Policy and Political Science. Previously, she was a Digital Policy Hub Undergraduate Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, and a 2024 Laidlaw Scholar. Her research interests center on the ethical and political implications of emerging technologies, particularly surrounding questions of algorithmic bias, surveillance, privacy, and the effects of technological systems on individuals and communities. Outside of academia, she is the Co-President of the Undergraduate Public Policy Students Association. 

Ramaravind studies AI safety through the lens of the people who build AI systems, working at the intersection of human-computer interaction, natural language processing, and philosophy. Drawing on informal logic, argumentation, and user studies, he develops frameworks and computational methods that help practitioners reflectively engage with AI's reasoning-like behaviors in safety-critical settings. His current research focuses on how ambiguity is understood and approached in AI safety. You can find more information about him at ramaravind.com. 

Biography coming soon.

Biography coming soon.

Rachel Katz is a PhD candidate at the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology. Rachel is a moral philosopher studying ethical issues in the ways novel technologies change or disrupt human relationships. Rachel’s dissertation examines the therapeutic alliance between a patient and (human) therapist, and the ways that the use of an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot in lieu of a therapist changes the nature of this relationship. More generally, Rachel is interested in interpersonal trust. She has used trust as an avenue to explore epistemic humility and the use of AI for pain management and topics related to pandemic ethics. 

Zeynep Kadirbeyoğlu is a political scientist with an interest in political ecology, decentralization, local governments, civil society organizations, and citizenship. She worked as a faculty member at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Boğaziçi University and was the Faculty Leave Fellow at the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University during the 2023/24 academic year. She is a member of the interdisciplinary political ecology working group in Turkey and the Centre for the Study of Social and Global Justice in the UK. She is a country expert (Turkey) for the European University Institute’s Global Citizenship Observatory. She received her PhD from McGill University and an MPhil from the University of Cambridge.   

David Benatar is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. He has been a visiting fellow at Emory (2004), Princeton (2009-2010), the US National Institutes of Health (2014-2015), the Rotman Institute of Philosophy at Western University (2022-2023), and the Centre for Ethics at the University of Toronto (2023-2025). His books include Better Never to Have Been (Oxford, 2006), The Second Sexism (Wiley-Blackwell, 2012), The Human Predicament (Oxford, 2017), and Very Practical Ethics (Oxford, 2024).

Victor Bruzzone is a democratic theorist studying democratic innovations and the ethics of mutual understanding. His research incorporates normative political theory, empirical research, and phenomenology. He completed his PhD in Political Theory at the University of Toronto in 2024. and a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at The Pennsylvania State University in 2026. During his postdoc, he developed a normatively informed quantitative survey experiment on mutual understanding with Professor John Gastil. Victor’s work has appeared in Contemporary Political Theory, Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, and Polity. 

Sasha Wong is a fourth-year undergraduate student specializing in Accounting at the University of Toronto Mississauga. She will be joining the Centre for Ethics as a Work-Study Communications Assistant. Sasha is passionate about volunteer work and contributing to meaningful causes, and she looks forward to supporting the Centre’s initiatives. Beyond her academic and professional interests, she enjoys art and design and is excited to bring her creativity to her role at the Centre for Ethics.

Petrina Wong is a fourth-year undergraduate student specializing in Accounting at the University of Toronto Mississauga. As a Work-Study Communications Assistant at the Centre for Ethics, she supports the Centre’s communications and events. Petrina is particularly interested in marketing and visual communication. Outside of school and work, she enjoys staying active and exploring new places.

Matthew Clark is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, pursuing a double major in Political Science and International Relations. He has been serving as a Communications Assistant at the Centre for Ethics through the University of Toronto’s Work Study program since May 2026. A 2026 Dean’s List Scholar, Matthew is deeply interested in Canadian and international politics, current affairs and elections.

Nutmeg Hewitt-Hua is the inaugural dogtoral fellow at the Centre for Ethics. He is hired because he is an ethical (nepo) dog (baby). Here at the Centre, Nutmeg is dissertating on the metaphysics of treats. He argues that a treat broken into two halves is still one treat, whereas two treats combined into one whole is also one treat; this account he coined “treat maximalism”. The first chapter of the dissertation is forthcoming at Barkley Studies.