Marcela Prieto

Marcela Prieto is an Associate Professor of Law and Philosophy at the University of Southern California's Gould School of Law. Her research focuses on international law, the laws of armed conflict, comparative constitutional law, and political/moral philosophy. She holds a JSD from NYU, where her dissertation won the 2021 NYU Outstanding Dissertation Award. Her 2023 book, The Morality of the Laws of War, earned the ABILA New Author Award. Prieto previously worked at Chile’s Ministry of Interior, prosecuting crimes against humanity from Pinochet’s regime.

Education:

• Bachelor's (summa cum laude), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
• LLM (Arthur T. Vanderbilt Scholar), NYU
• JSD (Distinguished Dissertation), NYU

Research Interests: Prieto examines the ethical dimensions of warfare, constitutional design in transitional societies, and the intersection of gender with legal academia. Her work bridges moral philosophy with international law, particularly in contexts of political violence and authoritarian legacies. She co-edits the Spanish edition of the International Journal of Constitutional Law.

Awards:

• 2021 NYU University-Wide Outstanding Dissertation Award in Social Sciences
• 2023 ABILA New Author Award

Grants & Advising: While no formal advisees are listed, her research has been supported by institutional grants and collaborative projects. She co-authored works on Chilean constitutionalism and gender dynamics in legal academia. Her recent articles address war coercion, parity constitutionalism, and populism’s impact on international law.

Labs/Teams: Engaged with USC Gould’s Center for Law and Philosophy and interdisciplinary groups studying global constitutionalism.