Melissa Lane is an American academic and professor at Princeton University, where she holds the Class of 1943 professorship in the Department of Politics. She graduated ''

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'' from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1989 with a degree in Social Studies and later earned a M.Phil and Ph.D. in Philosophy from

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, where she also served as a lecturer. Lane joined Princeton's faculty in 2009. Throughout her career, she has received numerous honors, including a

Marshall Scholarship The Marshall Scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship for "intellectually distinguished young Americans ndtheir country's future leaders" to study at any university in the United Kingdom. It is considered among the most prestigious scholarsh ...

Truman Scholarship The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is a graduate fellowship in the United States for public service leadership. It is a federally funded scholarship granted to U.S. undergraduate students for demonstrated leadership potential, academic excellence ...

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

in 2012, and the

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

Teaching Prize in 2015. A political theorist, Lane specializes in ancient Greek political thought and its modern significance.

Early life and education

Lane attended public schools in Los Angeles, California, serving as a student member of the

California State Board of Education The California State Board of Education is the governing and policy-making body of the California Department of Education. The State Board of Education sets K-12 education policy in the areas of standards, instructional materials, assessment, an ...

. She graduated ''

'' from

with a degree in Social Studies in 1989. She briefly worked as an aide and speechwriter for President

Oscar Arias Sanchez Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer J ...

of Costa Rica after college who she met after he gave the Harvard graduation speech. She then studied at Cambridge University as a

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

, Truman, and

scholar, graduating with a M.Phil in 1992 and Ph.D. in Philosophy in 1995.

Academic career

She taught at Cambridge University in the Faculty of History as a lecturer after graduating. In 2009, she joined

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

as a professor; in 2014, she was endowed the Class of 1943 professorship in the Department of Politics. She is associated faculty in the Department of Classics and Philosophy. She directed the Center for Human Values from 2016 to 2024 and was the first director for the Program in Values and Public Life. She teaches in the history of political thought, specializing in ancient Greek thought and in normative political thought about environmental ethics and politics. She was awarded a

in 2012 and a 2015 Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Prize, among other awards. She has been a fellow at

King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...

, the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society (RHS), founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the H ...

, and the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

Publications

Books

Author

* (US edition). ** (UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand edition). * (US edition). ** (UK edition). * *

Editor

* * *

Selected publications

* * * * * *

References

External links

University of Cambridge – Core Faculty
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lane, Melissa Princeton University faculty Living people American scholars of ancient Greek philosophy Historians of political thought Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Harvard University alumni Alumni of the University of Cambridge Year of birth missing (living people) American women political scientists Marshall Scholars American women classical scholars American classical scholars