• Ancient Ethics and Aesthetics (esp. Plato)
• Moral Responsibility
• Emotions in Antiquity
• Music and Dance in Antiquity
• Interactions between Philosophy and ancient Greek literature
• Mimesis

• Since 10/2025: Assistant Professor in Ancient Philosophy at the University of Trier (permanent)
• 10/2022–09/2025: Assistant Professor in Ancient Philosophy at the University of Trier (fixed-term, qualification position)
• 10/2021–09/2022: Assistant Professor in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy at the University of Mainz (fixed-term)
• 07/2016–06/2020: Bi-national PhD with joint supervision (Co-tutelle) in Ancient Philosophy at Universities of Tübingen and Salerno (summa cum laude/no corrections). Supervised by Prof. Irmgard Männlein and Prof. Franco Ferrari and funded by the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes (German Academic Scholarship Foundation). Dissertation: “Platons tanzende Stadt. Moralpsychologie und Chortanz in den Nomoi” (Plato’s Dancing City: Moral Psychology and Choral Dance in the Laws; winner of two awards, see ‘Publications’)
• 02–08/2018: Research stay at the University of St Andrews (School of Classics, supervised by Prof. Stephen Halliwell)
• 10/2016–07/2017: Research stay at the Universities of Salerno and Naples (Federico II, supervised by Prof. Lidia Palumbo)
• 04/2008–12/2014: Philosophy (Magister Artium) at the University of Tübingen, with additional exam in Ancient Greek
• 10/2008–07/2013: International Literature and Italian (Bachelor of Arts) at the University of Tübingen
• 09/2011–07/2012: Study visit at the University of Palermo (DAAD)
• 03/2008: Graduation from the “Rhein-Wied-Gymnasium” Secondary School in Neuwied (Rhein)

1. Platons tanzende Stadt. Moralpsychologie und Chortanz in den Nomoi, Leiden, Brill 2023 (= Brill’s Plato Studies Series, Bd. 11). (peer reviewed) Winner of the Conrado Eggers Lan Prize for the best PhD dissertation 2018–2021 
   awarded by the International Plato Society 
   Runner-up for the Ganph e.V. dissertation prize 2022 (German Society for Ancient Philosophy)

4. Julia Pfefferkorn, Antonino Spinelli (eds): Platonic Mimesis Revisited, Baden-Baden, Academia 2021 (= International Plato Studies, vol. 40).

3. Alina Noveanu, Julia Pfefferkorn, Antonino Spinelli (eds): Seefahrten des Denkens. Dietmar Koch zum 60. Geburtstag, Tübingen, Attempto 2017.

2. Michele Abbate, Julia Pfefferkorn, Antonino Spinelli (eds): Selbstbewegung und Lebendigkeit. Die Seele in Platons Spätwerk, Berlin/Boston, De Gruyter 2016 (= Beiträge zur Altertumskunde, vol. 356).

1. Dennis Peterzelka, Julia Pfefferkorn, Niklas Corall (eds): Nietzsche, der Nihilismus und die Zukünftigen, Tübingen, Attempto 2014.

13. Things Human and Things Divine: Pleasure and Shame in the General Preamble, in: Πάθος καὶ νόμος. Le traitement des affections dans les Lois de Platon, ed. by Sylvain Delcomminette & Louise Walmsley, Leiden, Brill, 32–56. (peer reviewed)

12. Auf der Jagd nach einem Gestaltwandler. Zur Komposition des Sophistes, in: Plato’s Sophist. Selected Papers of the 13th Symposium Platonicum, ed. by Luc Brisson, Edward Halper & Richard Parry, Baden-Baden, Academia 2024, 183–191. (peer reviewed)

11. Parmenides auf dem Prüfstand: Unendliche Schwierigkeiten und eine Aufgabe, in: Plato’s Parmenides. Selected Papers from the XII Symposium Platonicum, ed. by Luc Brisson, Arnaud Macé, Olivier Renaut, Baden-Baden, Academia 2022, 51–58. (peer reviewed)

10. The Three Choruses of Plato’s Laws and Their Function in the Dialogue: A new Approach, in: Phronesis 66/4, 2021, 335–365. (peer reviewed) 

9. Plato’s Dancing City: Why is Mimetic Choral Dance so Prominent in the Laws?, in: Platonic Mimesis Revisited, ed. by Julia Pfefferkorn, Antonino Spinelli, Baden-Baden, Academia 2021, 335–358. 

8. (with Antonino Spinelli): Revisiting Mimesis in Plato: An Introduction, in: Platonic Mimesis Revisited, ed. by Julia Pfefferkorn, Antonino Spinelli, Baden-Baden, Academia 2021, 7–25.

7. Shame and Virtue in Plato’s Laws: Two Kinds of Fear and the Drunken Puppet, in: Emotions in Plato, ed. by Laura Candiotto, Olivier Renaut, Leiden, Brill 2020, 252–269. (peer reviewed)

6. Sokrates’ Lob der ‚theia mania‘. Zur Funktion mythischer Gottheiten im Phaidros, in: Seefahrten des Denkens. Dietmar Koch zum 60. Geburtstag, ed. by Alina Noveanu, Julia Pfefferkorn, Antonino Spinelli, Tübingen, Attempto 2017, 95–104.

5. La χορεία come incantesimo. La creazione di consenso nelle Leggi di Platone, in: Epekeina Vol. 7 (No. 1–2), Palermo 2016, 1–17. (peer reviewed)

4. Der Tanz der Magneten. χορεία, Seele und die Mimesis des Göttlichen in Platons Nomoi, in: Selbstbewegung und Lebendigkeit. Die Seele in Platons Spätwerk, ed. by Michele Abbate, Julia Pfefferkorn, Antonino Spinelli, Berlin/Boston, De Gruyter 2016, 145–178.

3. Φαντάσματα θεῖα. Zum Bildbegriff in Platons Politeia, in: Platon und die Bilder, ed. by Dietmar Koch, Irmgard Männlein-Robert, Niels Weidtmann, Tübingen, Attempto 2016, 93–113.     

2. Danzare nell’incerto. La ripresa della metafora nietzschiana della danza nelle opere sulla Prima Guerra Mondiale di Ernst Jünger, in: Nietzsche nella Rivoluzione conservatrice, ed. by Francesco Cattaneo, Carlo Gentili, Stefano Marino, Genova, Il Melangolo 2015, 160–175.

1. „Wer aber seinem Ziel nahe kommt, der tanzt.“ Zu Nietzsches Tanz-Symbolik, in: Nietzsche, der Nihilismus und die Zukünftigen, ed. by Dennis Peterzelka, Julia Pfefferkorn, Niklas Corall, Tübingen, Attempto 2014, 133–155. 

6. Review of Malcolm Schofield, How Plato Writes: Perspectives and Problems, in: Journal of the History of Philosophy. (forthcoming, in English)

5. Review of André Laks, Plato’s Second Republic. An Essay on the Laws, New Jersey/Oxford 2022, in: Plato Journal 25/2024, 153–158. (in English)

4. Recensione di Bruno Centrone: La seconda polis. Introduzione alle Leggi di Platone, Roma 2021, in: Le Bulletin Platonicien 18/2023. (in Italian)

3. Review of Lijuan Lin, Die Helfer der Vernunft. Scham und verwandte Emotionen bei Platon, Berlin/Boston 2022, in: The Classical Review 73/2, 441–443. (in English)

2. Review of Karin Schlapbach, The Anatomy of Dance Discourse. Literary and Philosophical Approaches to Dance in the Later Graeco-Roman World, Oxford 2018, in: Gnomon 6/92/2020, 508–513. (in English)

1. Review of Myrthe L. Bartels, Plato’s Pragmatic Project. A Reading of Plato’s Laws, Stuttgart 2017, in: BMCR (2018.04.34). (in English)

• 10/2022: Runner-up for the Ganph e.V. dissertation prize 2022 (German Society for Ancient Philosophy)
• 08/2022: Winner of the Conrado Eggers Lan-Prize for the best PhD dissertation awarded by the International Plato Society 2018–2021
• 07/2016–06/2019: Dissertation scholarship from the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (German Academic Scholarship Foundation)
• 03–07/2018: Overseas funding for the research period in St Andrews granted by the Studienstiftung
• 06/2018: Full funding of the conference “Platonic Mimesis Revisited” granted by the Excellence Initiative of Tübingen University (DFG), 10873€
• 09/2016–07/2017: Overseas dissertation scholarship from the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) for the research period at the University of Salerno (waived in favour of the Studienstiftung)
• 09/2011–07/2012: Scholarship from the DAAD for the study visit at the University of Palermo
• 02/2009–11/2014: Scholarship from the Studienstiftung

• Moral Responsibility in Antiquity

• 07/2025: “Moral Responsibility in Early Greek Thought”, International Workshop, University of Oxford, University College (in collaboration with William Allan)
• 07/2025: “Freedom as Metaphor – Metaphors of Freedom”, Panel presented at the Celtic Conference in Classics (CCC), University of Coimbra (in collaboration with Diego De Brasi)
• 06/2023: Participation in the “Schüler-Initiative” for school students of the ZAT (Zentrum für Altertumswissenschaften, University of Trier) on the concept of Beauty (co-organised with Elisabeth Günther, Stephan Busch, Benedikt Strobel, Diego de Brasi, Stephan Baumann)
• 10/2019: “The Soul in Ancient Philosophy”, International graduate conference in Ancient Philosophy (in collaboration with Manlio Fossati, Andrés Hernández Villareal, Lorenzo Lazzarini, Wolfgang Sattler, and Matthew Shelton)
• 05/2019: “Platonic Mimesis Revisited”, International Conference, University of Tübingen (in collaboration with Antonino Spinelli)
• 06/2018: “Aspects of Platonism: Current Postgraduate Research”, Workshop, University of St Andrews, School of Classics (in collaboration with Stephen Halliwell)
• 10/2014: “Selbstbewegung und Lebendigkeit bei Platon / Automovimento e Principio Vitale in Platone”, International Conference, University of Salerno (in collaboration with Franco Ferrari, Michele Abbate, Antonino Spinelli, Giovanni Panno, Claudia Luchetti)

(Selection from 2021 onwards, see my CV on Academia for a full list)

• Immortality, Reincarnation, and Responsibility in the Chariot Myth (Phdr. 248a1–249d3) (June 2026: International workshop on Plato’s Phaedrus in preparation for a Cambridge Companion, organised by Patricia Marechal, André Rehbinder; Niece, France); invited paper

• (In-)voluntariness and Responsibility in Laws IX (16/05/2025: International workshop on Plato’s Laws, organised by Alex Long; St Andrews, UK); invited paper

• The Philosopher’s Freedom (Tht. 172c8–173c6, 175d7–176a2) (06/05/2025: Symposium Platonicum XIV on “Plato’s Theaetetus”, organised by Beatriz Bossi, Claudia Marsico, Álvaro Vallejo Campos; Madrid, Spain); accepted paper

• The Gods’ Rewards: Plato, Lyric Poetry, and Divine Retribution (19/10/2024: International workshop on “Plato and Lyric Poetry” (organised by Kathryn Morgan; UCLA, Los Angeles, USA); invited paper

• Is Social Ascent Possible in Plato’s Ideal Cities? (September 2024: Internationale Tagung „Ancient Greek Utopias“, organised by William Allan, Emma Greensmith; University College, Oxford, GB); invited paper

• Seelenteilung und Seelenreisen: Zu einem komplexen Verhältnis in Platons Werk (20/06/2024: 6th workshop of the research group “Philosophische Anthropologie in der Antike” (Ganph e.V.) on “Leib-Seele-Relation – historische und gegenwärtige Perspektiven im Dialog”, organised by Viktoria Bachmann, Raul Heimann, Sophie Otto; Freiburg, Germany); invited paper (keynote)

• Tanz mit den Göttern: choreia und das beste Leben in Platons Nomoi (10/04/24: guest lecture as part of the HELLAS lecture series at Basel University (organised by Anton Bierl; Basel, Switzerland); invited paper

• Inwiefern ist die Verfassung von Platons Nomoi eine „Mimesis des schönsten und besten Lebens“ (817b4)? (09/04/24: guest lecture in the “Kolloquium für antike Philosophie”, organised by Béatrice Lienemann; Fribourg, Switzerland); invited paper 

• Plato and the Problem of Responsibility for Character (29/03/2024: Séminaire “Graminaire”, organised by Ulysse Chaintreuil, Pierre-Marie Morel, Charlotte Murgier; Paris, France); invited paper

• Order and Chaos in Dance: Plato’s Laws on the Origin of choreia (Lg. 653d7–654a5)

(23/11/2023: 34^th Biennial Conference of the Classical Association of South Africa (CASA) on “Order and Chaos”, organised by Clive Chandler, Jeffrey Murray, Roman Roth, Matthew Shelton, David Wardle; Cape Town, South Africa); accepted paper

• Plato on Responsibility and the Immortality of the Soul (20.10.2023: 34. Symposium Platonicum Pragense on “Plato’s Theory of Soul”, organised by Ondřej Krása; Prague, Czech Republic); invited paper

• Plato on Honour and its Political Importance (12/07/2023: 14^th Celtic Conference in Classics (CCC), Panel “Honour in Classical Greece”, organised by Douglas Cairns; Coimbra, Portugal); invited paper

• The Immortal Chorus: Choral Dance in Plato’s Laws and in the Homeric Hymn to Apollo (14/06/2023: 20^th annual conference of the International Society for Neoplatonic Studies (ISNS), Panel “Plato Mousikos”, organised by François Renaud, Tosca Lynch; Catania, Italy); invited paper

• Platonic Honour between the Republic and the Laws (20/10/2022: International workshop on “Honour in the Greek and Roman World”, organised by Pierre Destrée; Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium); invited paper

• Paideia, Wein und Altersstufung: Eugen Finks Nomoi-Deutung (15/09/2022: International workshop on “Eugen Fink und die Antike”, organised by Cathrin Nielsen; Eugen Fink-Zentrum Wuppertal, Germany); invited paper

• Auf der Jagd nach einem Gestaltwandler: Sokrates’ Anspielung auf Odysseus / Chasing a Shape-Shifter: Socrates’ Allusion to Odysseus (18/07/2022: Symposium Platonicum XIII on “Plato’s Sophist”, organised by Edward Halper, Irmgard Männlein-Robert, Richard Parry; Athens (Georgia), USA); accepted paper

• The Three Choruses and “Semantic Plurivalence” in Plato’s Laws (22/03/2022: Forschungskolloquium “Savoirs et pratiques en Grèce ancienne” (organised by Arnaud Macé; Besançon (online), France); invited paper

• Shame, Moderation, and Moral Education in Plato’s Laws (09/11/2021: International conference “Shame and Virtue in Antiquity”, organised by Isabelle Koch, Anne Balansard; Aix-en-Provence, France); accepted paper

• Encouragement and Persuasion: Some Observations on the General Preamble (21/10/2021: International workshop “Πάθος καὶ νόμος: Le traitement des affections dans les Lois de Platon”, organised by Sylvain Delcomminette, Louise Walmsley; Brussels, Belgium); invited paper

• Freiheit und Verantwortung in Hellenismus und Kaiserzeit (Postgraduate, Philosophy, Trier, WS 2025/2026)

• Philosophische Papyri in Herculaneum und Ägypten (Undergraduate, Philosophy/Ancient Studies, Trier, WS 2025/2026, in collaboration with Patrick Reinard (Papyrology))

• Platons Jenseitsmythen (Undergraduate, Philosophy, Trier, WS 2025/2026)

• Einführung in die stoische Philosophie (Undergraduate, Philosophy, Trier, SS 2025) [Student evaluation: 1.5]

• Platon, Politikos (Undergraduate, Philosophy, Trier, SS 2025)

• Moralische Verantwortung in der Antike (Postgraduate, Philosophy, Trier, WS 2024/2025) [Student evaluation: 1.3]

• Aristoteles, Nikomachische Ethik (Undergraduate, Philosophy, Trier, WS 2024/2025) [Student evaluation: 2.0]

• Platon, Theaitetos (Undergraduate, Philosophy, Trier, SS 2024) [Student evaluation: 1.5]

• Aristoteles, Politik (Undergraduate, Philosophy, Trier, SS 2024) [Student evaluation: 1.8]

• Mimesis und Chortanz in den Nomoi (guest professor in a postgraduate course on Mimesis, organised by Béatrice Lienemann and Emmanuel Alloa; Philosophy; Fribourg, Swiss; 09/04/2024)

• Alexander von Aphrodisias, De fato (Über das Schicksal) (Postgraduate, Philosophy, Trier, WS 2023/2024)

• Platon, Gorgias (Undergraduate, Philosophy, Trier, WS 2023/2024) [Student evaluation: 1.5]

• Einführung in die Philosophie der Vorsokratiker (Undergraduate, Philosophy, Trier, SS 2023)

• Aristoteles, De Anima (Undergraduate, Philosophy, Trier, SS 2023)

• Anthropologie in Platons Nomoi (Undergraduate, Philosophy, Trier, WS 2022/2023) 

• Identität und Selbstentfremdung – literarische und philosophische Perspektiven (Postgraduate, Education Studies, Tübingen, WS 2022/2023; in collaboration with Laura Böckmann, based on literature by D. Klika, F. Dostoevsky, L. Pirandello, J.-P. Sartre, L. Strömquist)

• Freiheit und Verantwortung bei Plotin (Postgraduate, Philosophy, Mainz, SS 2022)

• Platon, Phaidon (Undergraduate, Philosophy, Mainz, SS 2022)

• Cicero als Philosoph: De finibus (Postgraduate, Philosophy, Mainz, WS 2021/2022)

• Epikur, Brief an Herodot (Undergraduate, Philosophy, Mainz, WS 2021/2022)

• Marionette Mensch: Freiheit und Unfreiheit von der Antike bis heute (Postgraduate, Education Studies, Tübingen, WS 2022/2023; in collaboration with Laura Böckmann, based on literature by Platon, P. Strawson, P. Bieri, J. Giesinger, U. Bröckling)

• Platon, Phaidros“ (Undergraduate, Philosophy, Tübingen, WS 2017/2018; in collaboration with Antonino Spinelli)

• Il racconto mediato e il narratore innamorato: Elementi della composizione del Simposio platonico (guest professor in an undergraduate course on Plato’s Symposium, organised by Giuliana Gregorio; Philosophy; Messina, Italy; 17/11/2016)

• Platon, Symposion (Undergraduate, Philosophy, Tübingen, SS 2016; in collaboration with Antonino Spinelli)

I supervise Bachelor’s and Master’s theses on any subject within the area of my competence and/or the range of my teaching (see ‘Research interests’, ‘Publications’ and ‘Teaching’), esp. topics related to ethics or aesthetics in Plato, Aristotle, Stoic philosophy, Epicureanism, and Nietzsche. I am also happy to supervise visiting students (Erasmus, PhD etc.) working in Ancient Philosophy, especially on Plato.

As first supervisor I have supervised students working on the following subjects: Compatibilism in Ancient and Contemporary Thought (M.A.); Stoic Virtue Ethics in Alexander of Aphrodisias (M.Ed.); The Right of the Stronger in Ancient and Contemporary Thought (B.A.; interdisciplinary supervision with Political Science); Plato’s Concept of Knowledge (B.Ed.)

As second supervisor I have supervised students working on the following subjects: Extratheoretical Truth in Heidegger’s Being and Time (M.A.); Appearance in Plato’s Sophist (M.Ed.); Zeno’s Paradoxes (B.Ed.); Anamnesis in Plato’s Phaedo (B.Ed.); Similes in Plato’s Theaetetus (B.Ed.); Modern Animal Ethics (M.Ed.)