Two Philosophy Grad Students Among 2026 Newcombe Fellows
The Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation has announced the winners of its 2026 Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships.
The fellowship program provides support to PhD candidates in the humanities and social sciences writing dissertations on questions of religion, ethics, morals, or values.
Twenty new fellows were announced, and two are based in philosophy departments.
They are:
Ross Edwards (The New School)
Dissertation: The Horror in Evil: Moral Philosophy in the Shadow of Holocaust Literature.
Description: If philosophy cannot face horror, it cannot truly understand evil.
(winner of the Robert M. Adams – Charlotte W. Newcombe Fellowship in Philosophy)
Zach Ferguson (UNC Chapel Hill)
Dissertation: Moral Character Across Species
Description: Animal ethics isn’t just about rules—it’s about the kind of moral character we cultivate, and recognize, in ourselves and other animals.
You can see the full list of fellows here.
Awesome, congrats to both but especially Zach
Congratulations Zach!!!!
Congrats Zach!!!
Congratulations to both!
Congrats Zach!
The clearly AI-generated “Descriptions” on the website are a bit cringe to be honest. Some clear examples:
“ Grief isn’t just suffering—it can be a source of hope, care, and moral responsibility.”
“ Animal ethics isn’t just about rules—it’s about the kind of moral character we cultivate, and recognize, in ourselves and other animals.”
“The “best interest of the child” wasn’t just a legal idea—it was shaped by Black mothers fighting to keep their children.”
“ In early modern Europe, financial failure didn’t just shape economies—it reshaped how people understood sin, grace, and salvation.”
The Foundation couldn’t just get descriptions from the PhD students themselves?