As a legal philosopher with a primary interest in our collective environmental crises, Professor Polk’s research focuses on rights-based environmentalism, as a legal, political, and moral movement.
Prior to joining FIU Law, Professor Polk was the Teaching Fellow for the Environmental Law and Policy LLM program at Stanford Law School. Professor Polk has clerked for the Honorable Robert W. Trumble in the Northern District of West Virginia and the Honorable Joseph R. Goodwin in the Southern District of West Virginia. She was also an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois College of Law in 2019.
Professor Polk earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She earned her J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law, and also holds B.S. in Mathematics and a B.A. in Philosophy & Classics from the University of Pittsburgh. Professor Polk is admitted to practice in West Virginia and the Southern District of West Virginia.
research interests
Animal Rights Environmental Law Jurisprudence Law & Philosophy
