Maria Baghramian, currently professor of philosophy at University College Dublin, will be moving to the American University of Armenia for a five year period in order to take up a position as European Research Area Chair and establish and direct a Center for Ethics in Public Affairs (“ETICA”) at the university.

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[photo by Mikael Wallerstedt]

Professor Baghramian works in a range of areas, with recent significant, grant-funded projects on expertise and disagreement. She has written on various topics, including relativism, empathy, and trust. You can learn more about here work here and here.

In an interview about the center, Professor Baghramian discussed one of the reasons for its creation:

Over the past decade or so, together with other Armenian philosophers in the Diaspora and in Armenia — such as Dr. Paul Boghossian… at New York University, and Dr. [Arshak] Balayan — I was convinced of the need to strengthen research and teaching in contemporary philosophy, particularly in ethics, in Armenia. 

She noted, “While philosophical in its main orientation, the project is interdisciplinary in its approach.”

According to the university,

The project’s ultimate goal is to establish ETICA as a national and international hub for excellent research, training, and outreach in ethics in the public and professional arenas. To this end, the Center will hold regular international conferences and workshops, publish peer-reviewed articles, create teaching resources and opportunities in English and Armenian, and engage the Armenian public, including youth, in deliberations on key ethical issues. The project also aims to introduce measures to support researchers at AUA and other Armenian higher education institutions to achieve further success with Horizon Europe funding applications and project management. 

Professor Baghramian takes up her position in Armenia on March 1st.