Simon Lambek

Simon Lambek is a Research Fellow in the Department of Political Science at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Faculty of Arts. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto (2020), an M.A. from the University of Chicago (2011), and a B.A. from McGill University (2009). Prior to UBC, he taught at Vanderbilt University. His research focuses on modern and contemporary political thought, particularly the role of rhetoric in shaping democratic politics and public debate.

Research interests include critical theory, democratic theory, history of political thought, and public opinion dynamics. His current projects explore the transformative effects of rhetoric on political discourse and the constitutive role of public debate in 21st-century democracies. He employs frameworks from hermeneutic theory to analyze how rhetoric influences interpretive horizons and fosters critical reflection.

His publications include articles in Epoché: A Journal for the History of Philosophy and Philosophy and Social Criticism. Awards include the SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship (2020) and teaching accolades from the University of Toronto. Lambek’s work bridges normative political theory with critical analyses of contemporary democratic challenges.