Rate My Professor Lachlan Umbers

Dr. Lachlan Umbers is a Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Philosophy within the School of Humanities at The University of Western Australia. He serves as Chair of Philosophical Studies, Fellow of the UWA Public Policy Institute, and Coordinator of both the Bachelor of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics and the Bachelor of Human Rights. Umbers holds a PhD in Philosophy from the Australian National University, awarded in 2018 for his thesis titled 'The Institutions of Democracy.' His principal research specializations are in democracy and climate justice, with additional interests in workplace justice, egalitarianism, the history of political thought, collective action, global justice, ethics, and meta-ethics. He is the co-creator and co-host, with Nin Kirkham, of the Human Rights in Global Perspective Podcast. Umbers teaches and co-teaches several undergraduate units, including HUMR1001: Human Rights in Global Perspective, PPHE1001: Equality, Liberty, and the Market, HUMR2001: Global and Environmental Justice, PPHE2211: The History of Political Ideas, PHIL3008: Rationality and Society, PPHE3001: Rational Choice Theory, and PPHE3327: Contemporary Political Theory. He is open to supervising honours, masters, and PhD students in moral or political philosophy in the analytic tradition.

Umbers received the School of Humanities Early-Career Research Award in 2023. His key publications include the co-edited book Civic Engagement in Australian Democracy with Sarah Murray (Anthem Press, 2025); chapters such as 'Early Voting and the Democratic Ideal' and 'Introduction' in that volume (2025); 'Geoff Brennan on the Ethics and Rationality of Voting' in History of Economics Review (2024, Vol. 88, Issue 1); and 'Regulating Political Advocacy by Charities Liberally' with Ian Murray and Murray Wesson in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly (2024, Vol. 53, Issue 1). Other notable works are 'Compulsory Voting: A Defence' in British Journal of Political Science (2020); 'Against Lottocracy' in European Journal of Political Theory (2021); 'Enfranchising the Youth' in Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy (2020); 'Workplace Domination and Labour Unions' in Perspectives on Politics (2023); and 'The Climate Duties of Sub-National Political Communities' with Jeremy Moss in Political Studies (year not specified). He co-edited Climate Justice Beyond the State with Jeremy Moss (2020). Umbers has contributed to public discourse, including speaking at 'The French Dialogues 2024: Freedom of speech on Australian campuses' on 31 October 2024.