Alyssa R. Bernstein

Alyssa R. Bernstein is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Ohio University’s College of Arts and Sciences, where she has taught since 2002. She earned her Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2000 and previously served as a Fellow at Harvard’s Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. Her scholarly work spans political philosophy, ethics, and applied philosophy, with a focus on Kantian and Rawlsian theories of justice, human rights, and climate change.

Her research interests include:

• Global and climate justice
• Kantian political and moral philosophy
• Rawlsian theory and public reason
• Philosophy of law and human rights
• Environmental and applied ethics

Bernstein’s recent publications explore the ethical dimensions of climate governance, civil disobedience, and cosmopolitanism. Her articles frequently engage with the works of Kant and Rawls, analyzing how their frameworks can inform contemporary debates on justice and international cooperation. She has contributed to major handbooks and journals such as Kantian Review, Philosophia, and Politics, Philosophy & Economics.

She has received several honors, including:

• Fulbright Scholar (1984–1985)
• Mellon Fellow in the Humanities (Harvard, 1985–1987, 1990–1991)
• Graduate Fellow in Ethics, Kennedy School (1991–1992)
• Carr Center Fellow (2001–2002)
• Nancy Schaenen Sabbatical Fellowship (2007–2008)

Bernstein has been actively involved in academic service, including as Director of Ohio University’s Institute for Applied and Professional Ethics (2011–2016), member of the Women’s Studies Curriculum Committee, and reviewer for journals such as Journal of Political Philosophy and Politics, Philosophy & Economics. She has presented her work at major international conferences, including the American Philosophical Association, the European Consortium for Political Research, and the North American Kant Society. Her teaching covers social and political philosophy, environmental ethics, and philosophy of law, and she has supervised numerous honors theses and independent studies.