Moral Philosophy
& Animal Ethics

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Messerli Research Institute, located at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, where I have also been teaching in the “Interdisciplinary Master’s Program in Human–Animal Interactions” (IMHAI) since 2023. In February 2025, I received my doctorate in philosophy from the University of Vienna, where I also taught as a lecturer from 2024 to 2025.

In my dissertation, I focused primarily on methodological questions in animal ethics, particularly on how to overcome the limitations of impartial and rationalistic approaches to human–animal relationships through a practice-oriented perspective on moral problems. My main sources of inspiration were Cora Diamond and Ludwig Wittgenstein.

Currently, I am researching the moral significance of special (human–animal) relationships and exploring how to develop a robust concept of reasonable partiality. In this context, I am also reflecting on the ethical relevance of so-called affordances. In addition to these theoretical concerns, I am interested in more practical issues: I am developing an interdisciplinary research project on urban animals and how we might build just and hopeful relationships with them.