Carmen specializes in political philosophy and the history of political thought. Her interests include international justice and international law, liberal theory and contemporary challenges to it, and ethics and public policy.

Before joining the department, Dr. Carmen Pavel was an Associate Professor and the Associate Director at the Centre for the Philosophy of Freedom at the University of Arizona, with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Philosophy. She received her Ph.D. from Brown University and then served as a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer in the Program in Political Philosophy, Policy and Law at University of Virginia.