Through the formation of the International Society for Moral Psychology (ISMP), a project led by Laura Niemi at Cornell University seeks to build a constructive and rigorous international community of scholars to sustainably advance the field of interdisciplinary moral psychology.

Moral psychology is a subfield of psychology and philosophy that investigates questions about morality using the methodological tools of experimental psychology. Over the past 25 years, this interdisciplinary field has experienced remarkable global growth; publication trends show it now surpasses other major topics within philosophy and psychology, including consciousness, cognitive linguistics, and perception. Yet, to date, moral psychology lacks a central infrastructure to connect researchers across regions, disciplines, and career stages.

ISMP aims to provide a sustainable, interdisciplinary, and globally inclusive scholarly society that welcomes diverse methodological approaches from psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, law, economics, and anthropology. With an emphasis on cultural variation and dialogue, ISMP will sponsor conferences featuring cross-cultural keynotes, symposia, and collaborative awards to build a thriving international moral psychology research community.

Complementing ISMP, the Moral Psychology Mentorship Program (MPMP) will link global trainees with senior mentors. This program will nurture the next generation of moral psychologists through structured support and relationship-building. ISMP’s leadership team and Advisory Board comprise distinguished researchers and experienced program developers committed to sustaining mentoring and community-building practices.

To further amplify impact, the team will begin exploratory work to assess the need and prospects for a Journal of Moral Psychology (JMP), a potential open-access, interdisciplinary journal dedicated to moral psychology. While launching JMP is beyond the current grant period, the team aims to use ISMP’s momentum to evaluate feasibility and assemble an international network of scholars who could form its future leadership. 

Expected outputs also include an engaging website, and a hybrid event on “Moral Psychology and Public Life” jointly sponsored by TWCF and Cornell.