CV
ALYSSA NEY
Department of Philosophy
One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616
EMAIL: aney@ucdavis.edu
http://philosophy.ucdavis.edu/people/aney
https://sites.google.com/site/alyssaney/
EDUCATION
Brown University, Philosophy, MA 2003, PhD 2005
University of California, Davis, Physics, MS 2020
Tulane University, Physics and Philosophy, BS 1999
AREAS OF RESEARCH
Metaphysics, Philosophy of Physics, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Science
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
2019 – present Professor of Philosophy, University of California, Davis
Spring 2024 Visiting Scholar, LMU Munich
2015 – 2019 Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of California, Davis
2011 – 2015 Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Rochester
2009 – 2011 James P. Wilmot Assistant Professor, University of Rochester
2005 – 2011 Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Rochester
Fall 2008 Visiting Scholar, Columbia University
BOOKS
Everett and Locality. Editor. Oxford University Press, 2025 (expected).
Metaphysics: An Introduction. Routledge, Second Edition 2023 (First Edition 2014).
The World in the Wave Function: A Metaphysics for Quantum Physics. Oxford University Press, 2021.
The Wave Function: Essays in the Metaphysics of Quantum Mechanics. Co-edited with David Z Albert. Oxford University Press, 2013.
ARTICLES
“The Argument from Locality for Many Worlds Quantum Mechanics,” Journal of Philosophy, forthcoming.
“Wave Function Realism,” in Compêndio de Filosofia da Física Quântica. R. Arroyo, ed., forthcoming.
“Three Arguments for Wave Function Realism,” European Journal for the Philosophy of Science, forthcoming.
“Overdetermination and Causal Closure: A Defense of the Causal Argument for Physicalism,” Protosociology, special issue on the philosophy of Jaegwon Kim, T. Horgan and B. McLaughlin, eds. 2022.
“Panpsychism and the Limits of Physical Science,” Journal of Consciousness Studies. 2021.
(Reply by Philip Goff in the same issue)
“From Quantum Entanglement to Spatiotemporal Distance,” Philosophy Beyond Spacetime. N. Huggett, B. LeBihan, and C. Wüthrich, eds. Oxford University Press. 2021.
“The Fundamentality of Physics: Completeness or Maximality?” Oxford Studies in Metaphysics, December 2020.
“Separability, Locality, and Higher Dimensions in Quantum Mechanics,” Current Controversies in Philosophy of Science. S. Dasgupta and B. Weslake, eds. Routledge. 2020.
“Are the Questions of Metaphysics More Fundamental Than Those of Science?” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research. 2020.
“Grounding and the Philosophy of Mind,” The Handbook of Metaphysical Grounding. M. Raven, ed. Routledge. 2020.
“Wave Function Realism in a Relativistic Setting,” The Foundation of Reality: Fundamentality, Space, and Time. D. Glick, G. Darby, and A. Marmodoro, eds. Oxford University Press, 2020.
“Finding the World in the Wave Function: Some Strategies for Solving the Macro-object Problem,” Synthese. 2020.
“Using the Feminist Science Shop Model for Social Justice” with Maya Cruz, Sara Giordano, Rebecca Jones, Julia Jordan, Stacey Salinas, and Sharena Diamond Thomas, Women’s Studies. 2019.
“On Phenomenal Functionalism about the Properties of Virtual and Non-virtual Objects,” Disputatio. June 2019.
(Reply by David Chalmers in the same issue)
“Locality and Wave Function Realism,” Quantum Worlds. O. Lombardi, ed. Cambridge University Press. 2019.
“The Politics of Fundamentality,” What is Fundamental? A. Aguirre, B. Foster, and Z. Merali, eds. Springer, 2019.
“Physicalism, Not Scientism,” Scientism. J. De Ridder, R. Peels, and R. van Woudenberg, eds. Oxford University Press, 2018.
“Grounding in the Philosophy of Mind: A Defense,” Scientific Composition and Metaphysical Ground. K. Aizawa and C. Gillett, eds. Palgrave-Macmillan, 2016.
“Microphysical Causation and the Case for Physicalism,” Analytic Philosophy, June 2016.
“Fundamental Physical Ontologies and the Constraint of Empirical Coherence,” Synthese, October 2015.
“A Physicalist Critique of Russellian Monism,” Consciousness in the Physical World: Essays on Russellian Monism, T. Alter and Y. Nagasawa, eds. Oxford University Press, 2015.
“Does an Adequate Physical Theory Demand a Primitive Ontology?” with Kathryn Phillips, Philosophy of Science, July 2013.
“Introduction” and “Ontological Reduction and the Wave Function Ontology,” The Wave Function: Essays in the Metaphysics of Quantum Mechanics. A. Ney and D. Albert eds. Oxford University Press, 2013.
“The Status of Our Ordinary Three Dimensions in a Quantum Universe,” Noûs, September 2012.
“Neo-Positivist Metaphysics,” Philosophical Studies, August 2012.
“The Causal Contribution of Mental Events,” The Mental and the Physical: New Perspectives on Type Identity. S. Gozzano and C. Hill, eds. Cambridge University Press, 2012.
“Convergence on the Problem of Mental Causation: Shoemaker’s Strategy for (Nonreductive?) Physicalists,” Philosophical Issues, 2010.
(Reply by Sydney Shoemaker, “Comments on Alyssa Ney,” in the same issue)
“Are There Fundamental Intrinsic Properties?” New Waves in Metaphysics, A. Hazlett, ed. Palgrave-Macmillan, 2010.
“Physical Causation and Difference-making,” British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, December 2009.
“Reductionism,” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, November 2008.
“Defining Physicalism,” Philosophy Compass, July 2008.
“Physicalism as an Attitude,” Philosophical Studies, March 2008.
“Can an Appeal to Constitution Solve the Exclusion Problem?” Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, December 2007.
“Physicalism and Our Knowledge of Intrinsic Properties,” Australasian Journal of Philosophy, March 2007.
BOOK REVIEWS
“Review of Jessica Wilson’s Metaphysical Emergence,” Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, March 2022.
“Review of Peter Lewis’s Quantum Ontology,” Metascience, September 2017.
“Review of Steven French’s The Structure of the World,” Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, December 2014.
“Review of John Heil’s The Universe as We Find It,” British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, December 2014.
“Review of Tim Maudlin’s The Metaphysics within Physics,” British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, September 2011.
PUBLIC PHILOSOPHY
“Reality is just a quantum wave function: Taking Schrödinger’s wave equation seriously,” IAI News, 13 January 2022.
https://iai.tv/articles/reality-is-just-a-quantum-wave-function-auid-2024.
“The many meanings of Schrödinger’s cat: 9 philosophers and scientists interpret quantum theory’s famous thought experiment, IAI News, 24 February 2022.
https://iai.tv/articles/the-many-meanings-of-schrodingers-cat-auid-2057.
PRESENTATIONS
“A Defense of Local Branching,” Quantum Foundations Workshop, University of Geneva, December 2023.
“Locality and Many Worlds Quantum Mechanics,” California Quantum Interpretation Network, Chapman University, September 2022, Many Worlds Conference, Tel Aviv University, October 2022, University of Rochester, October 2022, German Physical Society, Dresden, March 2023, Foundations of Physics, Bristol, July 2023, Rice University, October 2023, Ohio State, January 2024.
“Physicalism and Metaphysics,” University of Wisconsin, Madison, April 2022, Workshop on Minimal Metaphysics, University of Konstanz, September 2022, Metascience Workshop, Bristol, June 2023, LMU Munich, June 2023.
“A Defense of the Causal Argument for Physicalism,” Workshop on Metaphysical Explanation, Tel Aviv University, July 2022.
Workshop on The World in the Wave Function. Critics: Peter Lewis, Wayne Myrvold, Jill North, Davide Romano,University of Geneva, June 2021.
Author Meets Critics Session on The World in the Wave Function, Critics: David Albert, Valia Allori, David Wallace, APA Pacific Division Meeting, April 2021
“Three Arguments for Wave Function Realism,” David Albert birthday conference, Columbia University, November 2019, QLK21, Grenoble, March 2021, Oxford Philosophy of Physics Series, May 2021, University of Lisbon, May 2021.
“From Quantum Entanglement to Spatiotemporal Distance,” Harvard Foundations of Physics Series, September 2020.
“The Fundamentality of Physics: Completeness or Maximality?” FQxI Conference, Tuscany, July 2019, Auburn University, September 2019, New England Metaphysics Workshop, Rhode Island College, December 2019.
“The Emergence of Spacetime in Theories of Quantum Gravity,” Metascience Inaugural Conference, Bristol, June 2019, California Metaphysics Conference, USC, January 2020.
“Physics and Fundamentality,” Oxford University Jowett Society, February 2017, INPC Mountain Metaphysics Conference, Sun Valley, March 2017, Mississippi State University, February 2017, CUNY Graduate Center SWIP-Analytic, May 2017, Humphrey Colloquium University of Louisville, November 2017, British Society for the Philosophy of Science July 2018, Philosophy of Science Association November 2018.
“Locality and Wave Function Realism,” Identity, Indiscernibility, and Locality in Quantum Mechanics, Buenos Aires, June 2017, California Quantum Interpretation Network Workshop, Lake Arrowhead, September 2017.
“Quantum Mechanics and Fundamentality,” Scientific Realism and the Quantum, Leeds, September 2017.
“Wave Function Realism in a Relativistic Setting,” Oxford University Metaphysics of Entanglement Talk, February 2017, UC Irvine LPS Colloquium, April 2017, Columbia University, May 2017.
“Separability, Locality, and Higher Dimensions in Quantum Mechanics,” International Summer School in Philosophy of Physics, Black Forest, July 2016, Society for the Metaphysics of Science Presidential Address, Geneva, September 2016. Chapman University, September 2016, Boston Colloquium in Philosophy of Science, April 2017.
“Are the Questions of Metaphysics More Fundamental Than Those of Science?” EPSA Düsseldorf, September 2015, University of Alabama, November 2015, University of South Carolina, November 2015, University of California, San Diego, April 2016, University of Mississippi, February 2017.
“What is Physicalism?” Philosophy Today Series, University of Alabama, November 2015, International Summer School in Philosophy of Physics, Black Forest, July 2016, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, November 2016.
“Reductionism and Anti-reductionism about Mental Disorders,” Philosophy of Science Association, November 2016.
“Functionalizing Space in Quantum Mechanics,” International Summer School on the Philosophy of Quantum Gravity, Williams Bay, June 2016, Grounding the Wave Function, University of Neuchâtel, September 2016.
“Methods of Ontology,” From Biological Practice to Scientific Metaphysics, Basel Summer Institute, August 2016.
“Grounding in the Philosophy of Mind: A Defense” Society for Philosophy and Psychology, Invited Session on Metaphysics and Cognition, Providence, Rhode Island, June 2013 and Workshop on Grounding, Syracuse University, November 2013, Workshop on Scientific Composition and Ground, Rutgers Newark, April 2015, Kinds and Quantities Workshop, Hong Kong University, May 2015, Contemporary Perspectives on Reductionism, Prague, June 2016.
“Primer on Emergence,” International Summer School on the Philosophy of Quantum Gravity, Williams Bay, June 2016.
Panel presentation on “Is Time (or Space-time) Fundamental in Theories of Quantum Gravity?” International Association for the Philosophy of Time, Winston-Salem, June 2016.
“Finding Consciousness in the Wave Function,” Toward a Science of Consciousness, Tucson, April 2016.
Author Meets Critics Session on Mathias Frisch’s Causal Reasoning in Physics, APA Pacific Division Meeting, San Francisco, April 2016.
“The Metaphysics of Mental Disorders,” University of Bordeaux Biology and Medicine Series, September 2015, Iowa State University, December 2015, Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology, Louisville, March 2016.
“The Empirical Case for Physicalism,” Northern California Consciousness Conference, March 2016.
“Finding the World in the Wave Function,” Workshop on Spatial Functionalism, Institut Jean Nicod, June 2015, Causality in a Quantum World, Queensland, August 2015, and New Trends in the Metaphysics of Science, Paris, December 2015.
“Microphysical Causation and the Case for Physicalism,” Kim Retirement Conference, September 2014, Washington University, November 2014, UC Davis, January 2015, APA Central Division, February 2015, Marist College, March 2015, Towards a Science of Consciousness, Helsinki, June 2015, Centre for Time, University of Sydney, August 2015.
“Background Dependence as a Constraint on Theories of Quantum Gravity,” Time in
Quantum Gravity Conference, University of California, San Diego, March 2015, Southern Methodist University, April 2015.
“Finding Ourselves in a Quantum Universe, Monroe Community College, November 2014, Phelps Colloquium, University of Rochester, February 2015.
Author Meets Critics Session on John Heil’s The Universe As We Find It, APA Pacific Division Meeting, San Diego, April 2014.
“Fundamental Physical Ontologies and the Constraint of Empirical Coherence,” UNC Chapel Hill, August 2013, Workshop on Meta-Ontology, Manchester University, September 2013, Carolina Metaphysics Workshop, January 2014, PERSP Final Conference, September 2014.
“A Physicalist Critique of Russellian Monism,” Northwestern Conference on Philosophy of Mind, February 2014.
“Monism and Quantum Mechanics,” APA Central Division Meeting, Chicago, February 2014.
“Physicalism, Not Scientism,” Conference on Scientism, VU Amsterdam, January 2014.
“Configuration Space in a Relativistic Setting,” Foundations of Physics 2013, Munich, July 2013.
“Fundamental and Derivative Causation,” Workshop on Causation and Laws (University of Konstanz), September 2012 and University of Barcelona, May 2013.
“Does an Adequate Physical Theory Demand a Primitive Ontology?” with Kathryn Phillips, Boulder Conference on the History and Philosophy of Science (University of Colorado), October 2011, Conference on Space-time and the Wave Function (Barcelona), April 2013, and Complutense University (Madrid), May 2013.
“Indispensability Arguments in Metaphysics,” Metaphysical Virtues Conference (Western Michigan University), March 2013 and Mellon Workshop on Metaphysics (Cornell University), April 2012.
“Grounding the Truth about Mental Causation,” Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology, Austin, Texas, February 2013.
“Physics and Fine-Tuning Arguments,” Monroe Community College, November 2012.
“Can There Be a Literary Philosophy of Time?” with John Michael, University of Rochester (Course on the Art and Science of Time), April 2012.
“Physical Causation: Methodology and New Directions,” APA Central Division Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, February 2012.
“Quantum Mechanics and Ontology,” Vassar College, February 2012.
“Is Charge Intrinsic?” The Ohio State University, January 2012.
“Neo-Positivist Metaphysics,” APA Pacific Division Meeting, San Diego, California, April 2011, University of Bristol, November 2011, and University of Edinburgh, November 2011.
“Ontological Reduction and the Wave Function Ontology,” University of Miami, October 2010, University of Nevada at Las Vegas, November 2010, Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology Annual Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 2011, Metaphysics and Philosophy of Science Conference (University of Toronto), May 2011.
“Peer-Led Team Learning in Philosophy 101,” with Robin Frye, Conference on College Teaching and Learning, Niagara University, January 2011.
“Physicalism and Materialism,” Brown University (Presentation to Jaegwon Kim’s seminar), October 2010.
“Causal Foundationalism and the Special Sciences,” Workshop on Multi-level Causation (IHPST Paris), March 2010 and Lingnan University (Hong Kong), May 2010.
“Wave Function Realism,” Conference on Philosophy of Physics and Cosmology (Rutgers University), April 2010.
“The Measurement Problem and Many Worlds Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics,” University of Rochester (Physics and Philosophy Group), March 2010.
“The Status of Our Ordinary Three Dimensions in a Quantum Universe,” Vassar College, February 2010, and University of Rochester (Physics and Philosophy Group), February 2009.
“Mass, charge, and the rest,” UC Santa Cruz, October 2009 and Mellon Workshop on Metaphysics (Cornell University), May 2009.
“Are There Fundamental Intrinsic Properties?” APA Pacific Division Meeting, Vancouver, British Columbia, April 2009.
“The Causal Contribution of Mental Events,” Mellon Workshop on Mental Causation (Syracuse University), December 2007 and the Annual Meeting of the Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 2008.
“Parity, Parsimony, and the Extended Mind,” APA Central Division Meeting, April 2007.
“Physical Causation and Difference-making,” APA Pacific Division Meeting, San Francisco, California, April 2007 and Syracuse University, January 2007.
“Physics and Philosophy,” University of Rochester (lecture to Physics 143: Waves and Modern Physics), April 2006.
“Physicalism as an Attitude,” Annual Meeting of the Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology, Charleston, South Carolina, April 2006 and SUNY Geneseo, November 2005.
“Overdetermination and the Nature of Mental Causation,” APA Central Division Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, April 2005 and University of Texas Graduate Conference on Personhood, April 2004.
“Can an Appeal to Constitution Solve the Exclusion Problem?” APA Pacific Division Meeting, San Francisco, California, March 2005.
“Physicalism and Our Knowledge of Intrinsic Properties,” University at Buffalo, February 2005, Princeton/Rutgers Graduate Philosophy Conference, April 2004, and Oxford Philosophy Graduate Conference, November 2003.
“Mental Causation,” University of Rochester, February 2005.
“Unified Science and Metaphysics,” SUNY New Paltz, January 2005.
COMMENTARIES
On Andrei Buckareff’s, “Are Emergent Mental Properties Just Double-Preventers?” APA Central Division Meeting, February 2024.
On Anthony Dardis’s “Modal Difference Compatiblism,” Society for the Metaphysics of Science Meeting, Halifax, August 2023.
On Vera Materese’s “Quantum Fictionalism,” Society for the Metaphysics of Science Meeting, Bristol, September 2022.
On Torin Alter’s “Physicalism and Supervenience,” APA Central Division Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, February 2022.
On Patrick McGivern and Elay Shech’s “Fundamentality, Scale, and the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect,” Society for the Metaphysics of Science Meeting, University of Toronto, November 2019.
On Dustin Lazarovici’s “Space-time is One Whole,” Society for the Metaphysics of Science Meeting, Fordham University, October 2017.
On David McElhoes’ “Difference-making, Reduction, and Multi-grade Causality,” APA Pacific Division Meeting, Seattle, Washington, April 2012.
On Daniel Lim’s “Exclusion, Overdetermination, and Vacuity,” APA Pacific Division Meeting, San Diego, California, April 2011.
On Derk Pereboom’s “Russellian Monism” and Jessica Wilson’s “Non-reductive Realization and the Powers-Based Subset Strategy”, APA Pacific Division Meeting, Vancouver, British Columbia, April 2009.
On Yuri Balashov’s “Physical and Metaphysical Possibility,” Metaphysics Meets Physics on the Raritan (Rutgers University), October 2007.
On Carrie Jenkins and Daniel Nolan’s “Backwards Explanation and the ‘Real’ Explanation,” Bellingham Summer Philosophy Conference, August 2007.
On Barry Ward’s “Humeanism, Laws, and the Governing Intuition,” Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology, Charleston, South Carolina, April 2006
On Christy Mag Uidhir’s “On the Irrelevancy of the Live Performance,” American Society of Aesthetics Annual Meeting, Providence, Rhode Island, October 2005
On Eric Hiddleston’s “The Nonreductivist’s Troubles with Mental Causation,” Creighton Club (New York State Philosophical Association) Annual Meeting, Ithaca, New York, October 2005.
COURSES TAUGHT
At the University of California, Davis
Lower Division: Understanding Scientific Change, Introduction to Philosophy of Science
Upper Division: Alternative Logics, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Physical Science
Graduate Seminars: Causal Closure, Physicalism and Fundamentality, Pro-seminar, Quantum Nonlocality and Relativity, Reduction and Emergence, Social Ontology
At the University of Rochester
Lower Division: Introduction to Philosophy, Introductory Logic, Minds and Machines, Science and Reason
Upper Division: Logical Methods in Philosophy, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Time
Graduate Seminars: Causation, Fundamentality, Introspection and Qualia, Metametaphysics, Metaphysics of Quantum Mechanics, Perceptual Experience, Qualia and Representation (co-taught with David Braun), Reductionism (co-taught with Kevan Edwards)
LECTURING AT SUMMER SCHOOLS
Summer School on Time and God, Rutgers University, 2022
Black Forest School in Philosophy of Physics, Germany, 2016
Metaphysics and Philosophy of Biology Summer School, Basel, 2016
Summer School on Quantum Gravity, Wisconsin, 2016
NEH Summer School on Metaphysics of Mind, Washington University, 2013
GRANTS, AWARDS, AND FELLOWSHIPS
Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award, Humboldt Foundation, March-August 2024
Foundational Questions Institute (FQxI) Essay Contest on What is Fundamental? Second Prize, 2018.
John Templeton Foundation Academic Cross-Training Fellowship, 2018-2020.
University of California Humanities Research Institute Multi-Campus Faculty Working Group Grant, Project: California Quantum Interpretation Network (co-P.I. with Charles Sebens), 2017-18.
NSF Grant, Project: Conceptual Analysis of Quantum Theories: Developing a Realistic Interpretation of the Wave Function, 2016-17.
UC Davis Small Grant in Aid of Research, 2016-17
Davis Humanities Institute Faculty Research Cluster Grant for Speaker Series and Conference on the Philosophy and Physics of Space-time, 2016-17
UC Davis Faculty Research Travel Grant, 2015-16, 2016-17
University of Rochester Bridging Fellowship, Spring 2014
University of Rochester Humanities Project Grant for a Series of Three Workshops Connecting Metaphysics and Philosophy of Physics, Fall 2013-Fall 2015.
University of Rochester Center for Workshop Education Grant for Peer-led Workshops in Philosophy 101, Fall 2009-Fall 2010
Andrew W. Mellon Grant for Upstate New York Humanities Corridor Graduate Seminar on Reductionism (with Kevan Edwards), Fall 2009
University of Rochester Humanities Project Grant to support lecture series in History and Philosophy of Physics, University of Rochester, 2006-08
Andrew W. Mellon Grant for Upstate New York Humanities Corridor Three Day Workshop on Mental Causation (with Robert Van Gulick), Fall 2007
Elsie Field Dupre Prize in Physics, Tulane University, June 1999
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Associate Editor, British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 2015-present
Editorial Board, Philosophy of Physics, 2021-present
Trustee, Philosophy of Physics Society, 2023-present
Program Committee, American Philosophical Association Pacific Division, 2021-2024, 2015-2018
Philosophy of Science Association Underrepresented Philosophy of Science Scholars Faculty Mentor, 2020-present
Scientific Advisory Board, Epistemic Studies book series (de Gruyter), 2019-present
Advisory Board, ERC grant: MetaScience, 2018-present
Panelist, European Research Council (dates redacted)
Panelist, National Science Foundation (dates redacted)
Metaphysics Area Editor, Ergo, 2015-2020
Executive Committee, American Philosophical Association Pacific Division, 2016-2019
Scientific Advisory Committee, Templeton Grant: Space and time after Quantum Gravity, 2015-2018
President, Society for the Metaphysics of Science, 2015-2016
Program Committee, Philosophy of Science Association, 2014-2015
Program Committee, Society for the Metaphysics of Science, 2014-2015
REFERENCES
David Albert, Philosophy, Columbia University
James Ladyman, Philosophy, University of Bristol
David Papineau, Philosophy, Kings College London
David Wallace, History and Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh
Jessica Wilson, Philosophy, University of Toronto