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Aksel Braanen Sterri is a researcher in philosophy at the Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas (IFIKK) at the University of Oslo (UiO), and the Head of Research at the think tank Langsikt.
He works at the intersection of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE), with a particular focus on how markets and institutions can be designed to achieve fairer and better outcomes—ranging from the allocation of organs, vaccines, and medicines, to the improvement of animal welfare and the development of new technology, including artificial intelligence. He works within several subdisciplines of Philosophy, including Moral and Political Philosophy, PPE, Philosophy of AI, Applied Ethics, Bioethics and Medical Ethics.
He currently leads the research project Valuing Animals (2026–2031), funded by the Research Council of Norway (FRIPRO). The project investigates how animal welfare can be systematically integrated into socio-economic analyses and decision-making processes.
At Langsikt, Aksel works on making policy more long-term oriented, especially regarding the management of new, transformative technologies like AI. He is also affiliated with the AI center TRUST at UiO.
Aksel holds a PhD in Philosophy and a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Oslo. He has held postdoctoral positions at Harvard University, the University of Oxford, and OsloMet, and since 2024, he has been an Honorary Research Associate at the Uehiro Oxford Institute.
At UiO, he teaches digital ethics in the course HON2200 – Data-Driven Projects.