Baruch Professor Wins CUNY Award for Research Excellence

Baruch Professor Wins CUNY Award for Research Excellence

October 1, 2025

Elizabeth Edenberg, PhD, has been honored with CUNY's Henry Wasser Award, a prestigious distinction recognizing assistant professors for outstanding research in humanities or science.

Professor Edenberg, a scholar of political philosophy, the ethics of emerging technologies, and political epistemology, teaches at the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences. Her research explores contemporary moral problems, ranging from repairing deep divisions in our political system to navigating the ethical implications of modern technologies.

She frequently collaborates with partners beyond academia-ranging from public-impact projects to policy teams-seeking practical progress on complex ethical issues.

Honors and Awards

A leading voice in her field, Edenberg was named one of the "100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics." She also received Baruch's Abraham J. Briloff Prize in Ethics for her chapter, "The Problem with Disagreement on Social Media: Moral not Epistemic" in her book Political Epistemology (Oxford University Press, 2021).

At the Weissman School, Edenberg received three Excellence Awards: Mentorship in 2025, Institutional Leadership in 2024, and Teaching Excellence in 2023.

We spoke to Professor Edenberg to learn more about her research.

What sparked your interest in this field?

I was always drawn to issues related to social justice and the range of contemporary challenges that society faces today. My PhD in philosophy focused on ways to secure justice for marginalized populations, while navigating the deep disagreements that characterize politics.

My interest on the ethics of technology grew out of my time at Georgetown to embed ethics into courses and collaborate with other disciplines to tackle the ethical challenges faced in their research. Through that work, I met lawyers and computer scientists grappling with questions about privacy protections, consent, and algorithmic fairness.

What insights have emerged from your work?

I have had learned many things, but one lesson stands out. Discussing common contemporary challenges with experts from different disciplines introduces new research questions into philosophy, as well as different ways of translating the theoretical arguments from philosophy into practical tools for making progress on them in the world.

How does your research apply to current issues impacting the world?

My research starts with real world problems facing society today and considers what tools philosophy offers for navigating these problems and securing justice. I work on the impact of misinformation, political disagreement, and polarization on society and argue that we need to build mutual respect and trust across political divisions to make us more resilient against the threats these challenges pose to society.

In my work on the ethics of technology I engage directly with computer scientists and theorists who are shaping technology policy and with research and policy teams seeking to build ethics directly into their work.

Currently, I am part of an international interdisciplinary research group working on ways to better secure individuals' rights within the digital sphere.

How do you bring your research into the classroom?

I have created new courses for Baruch students that draw on my research expertise which focuses on truth and politics, ethics of artificial intelligence, and feminist philosophy. I have also updated the department's curriculum in the ethics of technology. Additionally, I regularly teach the pathways course Major Issues in Philosophy in a way that connects the perennial questions of philosophy to contemporary challenges facing society today.

I have also supervised student research projects on ethics of technology, privacy, climate change, and justice.

What are you currently working on?

I have a number of research projects related to algorithmic justice, digital consent, and mis/disinformation. I plan to draw together my work into two different book projects: a political philosophy book and one focused on the ethics of technology that would target a broad interdisciplinary audience.

Learn more: About Professor Edenberg.

Explore: Graduate and undergraduate degree programs at the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences.

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