Jed Atkins

Jed Atkins serves as Director and Dean of the School of Civic Life and Leadership at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since March 2024. Previously at Duke University (2009–2024), he held roles including Director of the Civil Discourse Project, Faculty Director of the Transformative Ideas Program, and Chair of the Classical Studies Department. He holds a Ph.D. in Classics and M.Phil. in Political Thought from the University of Cambridge, alongside an A.B. in Government and Classics from Bowdoin College.

His research focuses on Greek/Roman political philosophy, the history of political thought, and contemporary issues in tolerance and civil discourse. Major works include Roman Political Thought (2018), Cicero on Politics (2013), and the upcoming The Christian Origins of Tolerance (2024, Oxford UP). He is also co-editor of the Cambridge Companion to Cicero’s Philosophy.

• Key initiatives: Duke’s Civil Discourse Project (promoting intellectual diversity), Transformative Ideas Program.
• Interdisciplinary focus blending classics with modern civic engagement.

No academic awards or grants explicitly listed, though his editorial and directorial roles suggest significant scholarly impact.