Education
Florida State University
Ph.D. Candidate, Philosophy, 2020
Bioethics Certificate
Dissertation Adviser: Al Mele
“Empirical Problems for Backward-Looking Accounts of Moral Responsibility and Punishment”
Georgia State University
MA, Philosophy (Neurophilosophy track), 2015
Thesis Adviser: Eddy Nahmias
University of Michigan
Bachelor of Arts, Philosophy, 2012
Honors Thesis Adviser: Ishani Maitra
Research Areas
Specialization: Moral Psychology, Philosophy of Action, Ethics
Competence: Bioethics, Logic, Philosophy of Mind
Publications
“Enhancing the Nature-of-Activities Account of Enhancement”
Neuroethics, 11: 323-335, 2019.
“The Importance of Correctly Explaining Intuitions: Why Pereboom’s Four-Case Manipulation Argument is Manipulative”
The Journal of Cognition and Neuroethics, 3(1): 364-382, 2014.
Works in Progress
(In Review) “Looking Forward to Desert: Moral Responsibility and Forward-Looking Considerations”
“The Punishment Puzzle”
“A Darwinian Dilemma for Retributivists”
Presentations
“The Punishment Puzzle”
2019: 65th Annual Meeting of the Florida Philosophical Association in Gainesville, FL
"Looking Forward to Desert: Moral Responsibility and Forward-Looking Considerations"
2019: European Society for Philosophy and Psychology in Athens, Greece
2019: Experimental Philosophy Conference at the University of Bern, Switzerland (poster)
"Forward-Looking Considerations and Moral Responsibility"
2018: Florida State University Experimental Philosophy Research Group
"A Problem for Armstrong’s Theory of Laws"
2017: 63rd Annual Meeting of the Florida Philosophical Society in Ocala, FL
"Why Less Praise for Enhanced Performance? The Nature of the Nature-of-Activities Justification"
2016: University of Michigan-Flint Center for Cognition and Neuroethics Conference on Free Will in Flint, MI
"Indeterminism, Agent Causation, and Explanation"
2016: St. Louis University Graduate Conference
"Why Pereboom’s Four-Case Manipulation Argument is Manipulative"
2014: University of Michigan-Flint Center for Cognition and Neuroethics Conference on Free Will
2014: Florida State University Graduate Philosophy Conference on Free Will, Moral Responsibility, and Agency
Comments
Joshua Habgood’s “Knowledge How, Abilities, and Questions”
2016: Minds Online Conference
Derek Lam’s “The Dilemma Defense and Remaining Agnostic in the Right Way”
2017: Florida State University Graduate Philosophy Conference on Free Will, Moral Responsibility, and Agency
Academic Awards and Distinctions
Graduation with Distinction (MA thesis): Georgia State University, 2015
Awarded for defending a thesis that was judged to merit distinction and a permanent record of this distinction as well as a GPA above 3.85. MA thesis title: “The Importance of Correctly Explaining Intuitions: Why Pereboom’s Four-Case Manipulation Argument is Manipulative”
Graduation with Honors (BA thesis): University of Michigan, 2012
Awarded for having successfully defended a thesis at an oral exam, conducted by a committee of two professors, as well an exceptional GPA. BA thesis title: “On the Permissibility of Lying”
James B. Angell Scholar: University of Michigan, 2012
Awarded for achieving an all “A” record for two or more consecutive terms.
Bell Scholarship ($40,000): University of Michigan, 2008
A merit-based scholarship intended for students who show exceptional academic talent, reside in an eligible geographic area, and are pursuing an undergraduate, science-related degree.
Service
Minorities and Philosophy: Florida State University
Conference organizer, 2020: Treasurer and secretary, 2019-current
New Orleans Workshop on Agency and Responsibility
Conference session chair, 2019
Philosophy Graduate Student Association: Florida State University
Social chair, 2019-2020: Treasurer and secretary, 2017-2018
Florida State University Experimental Philosophy Research Group
Member, participant, contributor, 2018-current
Florida State Graduate Free Will, Moral Responsibility, and Agency Conference
Conference organizer, 2016
Big Brother Big Sister: Tallahassee, Florida
Big Brother (Mentored an underprivileged student in junior high), 2015-2016
Phi Sigma Tao International Honor Society in Philosophy: Georgia State University
Member, 2014-current
MStars Make-a-Wish Foundation: University of Michigan
Event organizer, fund raiser, 2010-2012
Additional Research Experience
Research Assistant for Al Mele: Florida State University, 2018-current
Assisted Al Mele with research projects including assisting with publication preparation, corresponding with collaborators, acquiring research materials and other miscellaneous tasks.
Research Assistant for Eddy Nahmias:Georgia State University, 2013-2014
Assisted Eddy Nahmias with research projects including reviewing and editing papers before publication, creating a professional website and other miscellaneous tasks.