Clemens Sedmak

Professor of Social Ethics

Director, Nanovic Institute for European Studies


Keough School of Global Affairs

Clemens Sedmak is professor of social ethics in the Keough School of Global Affairs, where he directs the Nanovic Institute for European Studies. He holds a joint appointment with the Institute for Social Concerns.

A native Austrian, he holds doctoral degrees in theology (Catholic University of Linz), philosophy, and social theory (University of Innsbruck). Before coming to Notre Dame, he was the F.D. Maurice Professor for Moral and Social Theology at King’s College London. He previously served as director of the Center for Ethics and Poverty Research and chair for epistemology and philosophy of religion at the University of Salzburg, where he was also president of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Social Ethics.

He has authored numerous publications in German and English, including The Capacity to be Displaced: Resilience, Mission, and Inner Strength (Brill, 2017).

His research interests include social ethics, the Catholic social tradition, and issues of poverty and justice. His research includes collaboration with Notre Dame colleagues on the Catholic Church’s role in acclimating refugees into Italian society.