Congratulations to Grant Recipient Dr. Lea Cantor for being Named as Recipient of Oxford Nicolas Berggruen Prize for Best Doctoral Dissertation in Philosophy, Law and Politics 2024

The Foundation is pleased to announce that one of our grant recipients from the European Region, Dr. Lea Cantor, has been awarded Oxford Nicolas Berggruen Prize for Best Doctoral Dissertation in Philosophy, Law and Politics 2024. This prize, funded by American investor and philanthropist Nicolas Berggruen, is awarded to the work that is both excellent and transformative in either theory or practice. Through her meticulous analysis of the thoughts of Parmenides and Zhuangzi, Dr. Lea Cantor re-conceptualizes ancient philosophy, challenging the received narrative that “philosophy emerged through a shift from myth to reason, or from mythos to logos.” Her dissertation contributes to fostering cross-cultural dialogue in the study of classical philosophy.

Dr. Cantor will be taking up a permanent Lectureship in the History of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield from September 2025. Her research interests include topics of classical Chinese philosophy, ancient Greek philosophy, global history and historiography of philosophy. The Foundation is deeply proud of Dr. Cantor’s outstanding accomplishments having earned recognition in the form of this great honor.