Bio

I work as a Clinical Associate Professor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Philosophy at SUNY: University at Buffalo. Though my focus is on exceptional teaching, I have a number of research interests that inform the courses I develop or teach. My research primarily pursues intersections between the philosophy of cognitive science and moral psychology, most especially regarding nonhuman animals and neurodivergent persons. Additionally, I am interested in both aesthetics and the metaphysics of death.

Beyond this more formal work, community-building continues to be important to me. Here at UB, on the student side of things, I am the faculty sponsor for a number of undergraduate clubs; see my events page for more details. On the colleague side of things, I am the Co-Editor-in-Chief for a new journal called Innovations in Learning: A SUNY-Focused Teaching Journal; thanks to a generous Innovative Instruction Technology Grant, this journal will highlight the voices of clinical faculty, teaching faculty, lecturers, and others who contribute to instructional excellence in the SUNY system. Before coming to UB, while living in Tallahassee, I created and hosted a public philosophy series called Brain Freeze; the goals of the series were multiple: to support FSU’s MAP (Minorities and Philosophy) chapter, to facilitate discourse across academic disciplines, and to promote interaction beyond the confines of a university setting. So, whether it’s helping students to organize clubs and activities, promoting the work of my SUNY colleagues, or creating spaces for public-facing academic work, I will continue to prioritize community-building efforts that demonstrate the value of departments like mine.

Before coming to UB, I taught at Florida State University, University of North Florida, York University (Toronto), University of Memphis, Christian Brothers University, and Mid-South Community College. I earned my Ph.D. in Philosophy at University of Memphis, after completing other degrees at Vanderbilt University and Christian Brothers University. Towards the end of my doctoral program, I was also a visiting researcher at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (Germany).

When I’m not philosophizing, I enjoy spending time with my husband and our cats, reading memoirs, helping friends with interior design challenges, and taking photographs of pigeons and ducks.