Dr. Beth A. Simmons

Class of 2024-25

Andrea Mitchell University Professor of Law, Political Science and Business Ethics
Penn Law School, School of Arts and Sciences and Wharton Business School
University of Pennsylvania

Beth A. Simmons is known for her research on international relations, human rights, and international law. Her work has influenced the understanding and implementation of international law, particularly in human rights and global governance.

Her current research focuses on international borders, border governance, human rights and the diffusion of norms in global politics.

Simmons received her Ph.D. from Harvard University.

At the University of Pennsylvania, she teaches courses on international law, international relations and ethics.

She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.

Honors include the Woodrow Wilson Award and the Stein Rokkan Prize for her book, “Mobilizing for Human Rights: International Law in Domestic Politics.”

Simmons was elected president of the International Studies Association and directed the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs as a professor at Harvard. She delivered the Lauterpacht Lecture in International Law at Cambridge University in 2024.

She has served on the editorial boards of more than a dozen disciplinary and interdisciplinary journals, including the American Political Science Review and the American Journal of International Law.

Simmons will collaborate with faculty and students in the Bush School of Government and Public Service.