Kadri Simm appointed Professor of Practical Ethics

On October 25, 2024, the University of Tartu Senate appointed Associate Professor of Practical Philosophy, Kadri Simm, as Professor of Practical Ethics. This new professorship is distinguished from practical philosophy and theoretical ethics by its focus and interdisciplinary approach, particularly its integration with social science research methods and applicability. In recent decades, demand for expertise in the field on practical ethics has increased significantly both within the university and in society.

Kadri Simm's research and teaching are closely tied to moral and political philosophy, with a particular focus on issues of justice and applied ethics, including bioethics—ranging from ethical aspects of new technologies to traditional topics in medical ethics like euthanasia. She is also focused on research ethics, she led Estonia's first national study on research ethics and serves currently as the research ethics advisor for the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at UT. Further, she is currently heading the interdisciplinary EU-funded project "Beyond Bad Apples: Behavioral and Evidence-Based Approaches to Promoting Research Ethics in Europe" (BEYOND).

Kadri Simm regularly teaches general courses in political philosophy, research ethics and moral philosophy, along with more specialised courses such as "Bioethics," "Justice," and "Equality," and supervises students at all academic levels. In 2019, students voted her the best philosophy lecturer at the Institute of Philosophy and Semiotics. Simm remarks, "Years of teaching ethics have only deepened my interest in understanding what ethical decisions truly entail and what exactly ethics education should aim to achieve."

She is also dedicated to science popularisation, writing media articles on ethical issues and appearing on television and on radio. She edited the “Handbook of Practical Ethics, which was released online in 2023 and in print in September 2024. The textbook was awarded Best Estonian Textbook of 2023. The handbook covers various important fields and debates in ethics, written primarily to high school and first years’ university students but also serving as a great introductory handbook for anyone interested in ethics.

Kadri Simm is also a member of the Clinical Ethics Committee of the University of Tartu Hospital and editor of the international research journal BMC Medical Ethics. In 2022, she was recognised by AcademiaNet, an international portal that highlights successful women scientists, enhancing their global visibility. From 2022 to 2023, she was a Fulbright scholar at the Department of Bioethics at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. In 2023, her work was also honored with the University of Tartu's Badge of Distinction.

As Professor of Practical Ethics, Simm will develop new areas where expertise is currently limited but societal need is great, including environmental ethics, data ethics, and AI ethics. Her professorship will begin on January 1, 2025.