Positions held:

School of Philosophy, The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., 2001–present

Continuous tenure, 2008
Associate Professor, 2007
Assistant Professor, 2001–2007

Visiting Scholar in Louvain, Belgium, hosted by Prof. Carlos Steel, 2000

Scientific collaborator (“wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter”) in Medieval Philosophy, for Prof. Ludger Honnefelder at the University of Bonn, Germany, 1999–2000

Scientific collaborator (“assistant diplomé”) in Moral Theology,
for Prof. Servais Pinckaers, O.P., at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, 1994–1997

Education:

Ph.D. in Philosophy, University of Fribourg, Switzerland, directed by Prof. Ruedi Imbach, summa cum laude. Dissertation defended in 1999, published in 2002

Licentiate in Theology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland, summa cum laude, 1993

Previous studies in Theology at the Albert-Ludwig-Universität, Freiburg, Germany, 1987–1989

Area of Specialization:

Ethics and metaphysics in medieval philosophy. Special focus is on Thomas Aquinas, Henry of Ghent, and Duns Scotus

Fellowships and Grants:

Swiss National Science Foundation, dissertation fellowship, hosted by Prof. Ludger Honnefelder in Bonn, 1997–1998allowing for work on the Ph.D. thesis in Bonn

German Research Foundation (DFG), Subsidies for a conference on “Weakness of the Will in Medieval Philosophy.” University of Jena, August 2004

Erasmus Institute, University of Notre Dame, junior fellowship, 2004–2005

Humboldt Research Fellowship, hosted by Prof. Rémi Brague in Munich, 2008–2009

Publications

Recent Papers:

“The Relation between the Human Will and God: the Rational Foundation of Morality according to Thomas Aquinas.” Invited lecture, Boston College, March 2002

“Akrasia and the Fall of Angels in Aquinas: How Can a Rational Agent Choose Evil?” The 11th International Congress of Medieval Philosophy, Société Internationale pour l’Étude de la Philosophie Médiévale, Porto (Portugal), August 2002

“Practical Judgment, Deliberation and Free Choice: Thomas Aquinas and Henry of Ghent.” Deliberation, Desires and Emotions: A Debate Among Medieval and Contemporary Philosophers, International Conference, University of Montreal, May 2004

“How Can The Morally Weak Prevail over Moral Weakness? The Path from Incontinence to Virtue according to Aquinas.” Akrasia and incontinentia: The Problem of Weakness of Will in the Philosophy of the Middle Ages, International Conference, University of Jena, Germany, August 2004

“Incontinence and Voluntarism in the Ethics of Henry of Ghent.” Fall Lecture Series 2004, Weakness of Will, The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., October 2004

“Aquinas on the Virtuous Person as the Measure of Human Acts.” 40th International Congress on Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, Mich., May 2005

“‘The Virtuous Person is the Measure of Human Acts’: Connaturality and Principles in Aquinas’s Ethics.” De la phronèsis à la prudentia: Des philosophies hellénistiques à la pensée scolastique, International Colloquium, University of Namur and Université Catholique de Louvain, May 2005

“Unde malum? – Contingent Free Choice according to Aquinas.” Thomistic Institute 2005, The University of Notre Dame, July 2005

“La liberté, la perfection et l’imperfection: Thomas d’Aquin et Jean Duns Scot.” Renouveler toutes choses en Christ: hommage à Servais Pinckaers, O.P. University of Fribourg (Switzerland), October 2005

“Magnanimity in Albert the Great’s Commentaries on the Nicomachean Ethics.” Virtue Ethics in the Middle Ages: Commentaries on Aristotle’s Ethics (1200–1500). University of Nijmegen, January 2006

“Aquinas and Henry of Ghent on Contingent Causality and Free Choice.” Medieval Academy Annual Meeting 2006. Boston, March 2006

“Duns Scotus on Angelic Sin.” The 31st Patristic, Medieval, and Renaissance Conference, Villanova University, October 2006

“Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas on Magnanimity.” Society for Medieval and Renaissance Studies Satellite Session at the ACPA 2006 Annual Meeting, October 2006

“Comments on Mark Jordan, Rewritten Theology: Aquinas after His Readers.” American Society of Church History, Winter Meeting, January 2007

“Univocity of Being in Duns Scotus’s Quaestiones De anima.” Soul & Mind: Ancient and Medieval Perspectives on the De anima – 50 Years De Wulf-Mansion Centre, February 2007

“Loosening the Connection of the Virtues: Aquinas and Henry of Ghent.” 12 th International Congress of Medieval Philosophy , Société Internationale pour l'Étude de la Philosophie Médiévale , Palermo, September 2007

“Aquinas and his Contemporaries on whether the Will Is Freer than
the Intellect.” Society for Medieval Logic and Metaphysics satellite session at
the ACPA 2007 Annual Meeting, Milwaukee, November 2007

“Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus on Angelic Sin.” Invited lecture, Franciscan University of Steubenville, November 2007

Professional Activities:

Organization (with J. Müller and M. Perkams) of a conference entitled “Weakness of the Will in Medieval Philosophy,” in Jena (Germany), August 2004

Organization (with K. Pritzl, O.P.) of the Fall 2004 Lecture Series entitled “Weakness of Will” at The Catholic University of America

Organization of a panel entitled “The Angels and Medieval Philosophy,” at the 31st Patristic, Medieval, and Renaissance Conference, Villanova University, October 2006

Referee for The Thomist, 2002, 2004
Referee for Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie, 2005, 2006
Referee for Philosophy & Phenomenological Research, 2006
Referee for Journal of the History of Philosophy, 2007
Referee for The Catholic University Press, 2007

Languages:

German, English, French, and Italian (fluency); Spanish, Latin, Ancient Greek, Ancient Hebrew (reading knowledge).

Memberships:

American Philosophical Association

American Catholic Philosophical Association

Société Internationale pour l’Étude de la Philosophie Médiévaleciety for Ethics

Society for Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy

Society for Medieval Logic and Metaphysics

The Medieval Academy of America