CURRICULUM VITAE
Suzy Killmister
Philosophy
Monash University
Email: suzy.killmister@monash.edu
Employment
2024-present Associate Professor, Philosophy, Monash University
2018-2024 (Senior) Lecturer, Philosophy, Monash University
2017-2018 Faculty Fellow, Murphy Institute, Tulane University
2013-2017 Assistant Professor, Philosophy / Human Rights Institute, University of Connecticut
2010-2013 Lecturer, Politics Programme, Massey University
Education
PhD, Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics University of Melbourne, August 2010
Bachelor of Arts (1st Class Honours, Politics) Monash University, 2005
Areas of Specialisation
Social and Political Philosophy
Social Metaphysics
Areas of Competence
Ethics
Action Theory
Fellowships and Grants
ARC Future Fellowship: 'The Moral Significance of Being Human', 2026-2029
ARC Discovery Project: ‘Conferring Dignity in Healthcare and Law’, 2019-2021
Murphy Institute of Ethics Fellow, Tulane University, 2017-18
Books
Killmister, Suzy Contours of Dignity, Oxford University Press, 2020
Killmister, Suzy Taking the Measure of Autonomy: A Four-Dimensional Theory of Self-Governance, Routledge, 2017
Articles and Chapters
Killmister, Suzy, “Social and Political Philosophy”, in Marcus Rossberg (ed), The Cambridge Handbook of Analytic Philosophy, (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming)
Killmister, Suzy, “Dignity as Conferred Status”, in Jesse Tomalty and Kerri Woods (eds), The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Human Rights, (Routledge, 2026)
Killmister, Suzy. “What’s Wrong With Gender Critical Feminism?’, Hypatia, 2025, online first: doi:10.1017/hyp.2024.79
Killmister, Suzy, “Philosophical Approaches to Dignity and Their Applicability to Non-Human Animals”, in Melanie Challenger (ed), Animal Dignity, (Bloomsbury Press, 2023)
Killmister, Suzy, “Autonomy and Dignity”, in Ben Colburn (ed), Routledge Handbook of Autonomy, (Routledge, 2023)
Killmister, Suzy, “The Human in Human Rights”, in Gienow-Hecht, Jobs, and Kunkel (eds), Visions of Humanity: Historical-Cultural Practices Since 1850, (Berghahn Books, 2023)
Killmister, Suzy, “I Am a Man: Countering Oppression Through Appeal to Kind Membership”, Journal of Applied Philosophy, Vol 40/5, 2023
Winner of the Journal of Applied Philosophy Annual Essay Prize, 2023
Killmister, Suzy, “Constructing Moral Equality”, Journal of the American Philosophical Association, Vol 9/4, 2022
Killmister, Suzy, “COVID-19 and the Right of Return”, Australian Journal of Human Rights, Vol 27/2, 2022
Killmister, Suzy “The Warty Conception of Human Rights”, Journal of Human Rights, 18/5, 2019
Killmister, Suzy “Dignity, Respect, and Cognitive Disability”, in Cureton and Wasserman (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy and Disability, (Oxford University Press, 2018)
Killmister, Suzy “Paternalism and Autonomy”, in Hanna and Grill (eds), Routledge Handbook on the Philosophy of Paternalism, (Routledge, 2018)
Killmister, Suzy “Deriving Human Rights from Human Dignity: A Novel Political Approach”, in Tom Campbell and Kylie Bourne (eds), Political Approaches to Human Rights, (Routledge, 2018)
Killmister, Suzy “Dignity: Personal, Social, Human”, Philosophical Studies, 174/8, 2017: 2063-2082
Killmister, Suzy “Dignity, Torture, and Human Rights”, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 19/5, 2016: 1087-1101
Killmister, Suzy “Autonomy Under Oppression: Tensions, Trade-Offs, and Resistance”, in Marina Oshana (ed), Personal Autonomy and Social Oppression: Philosophical Perspectives, (Routledge, 2015)
Killmister, Suzy “The Woody Allen Puzzle: How ‘Authentic Alienation’ Complicates Autonomy”, Noûs, 49/4, 2015: 729-747
Killmister, Suzy “Resolving the Dilemma of Group Membership”, in Bessone, Calder, and Zuolo (eds), How Groups Matter: Challenges of Toleration in Pluralistic Societies (Routledge, 2014): 89-108
Killmister, Suzy “Autonomy and False Beliefs”, Philosophical Studies, 164/2, 2013: 513-531
Killmister, Suzy “Autonomy and the Problem of Socialisation”, Social Theory and Practice, 39/1, 2013: 95-119
Killmister, Suzy “Autonomy, Liberalism and Anti-Perfectionism”, Res Publica, 19/4, 2013: 353-369
Killmister, Suzy “Why Group Membership Matters: A Critical Typology”, Ethnicities, 12/3, 2012: 251-269
Killmister, Suzy “Group-Differentiated Rights and the Problem of Membership”, Social Theory and Practice, Vol 37/2, 2011: 227-255
Killmister, Suzy “Dignity: Not Such a Useless Concept” Journal of Medical Ethics, Vol 36/3, 2010: 160-164
Killmister, Suzy “Remote Weaponry: The Ethical Implications” Journal of Applied Philosophy, Vol 25/2, 2008: 121-133
Responses and Reviews
Killmister, Suzy and David Ripley, "Against a Psychotherapy Requirement for Gender Affirming Healthcare: A Response to Vincent and Jane", Australasian Philosophical Review, 7/3, 2025
Killmister, Suzy, “Review: Kantian Ethics, Dignity, Perfection, by Paul Formosa”, Ethics, Vol 133/3, 2023: 420-424
Killmister, Suzy, “Supplementing the Capabilities Approach – A Response to Soofi”, Journal of Medical Ethics, Vol 48/12, 2022: 977-978
Media
'The atrocities in Israel and Gaza dehumanise their victims differently — and so demand different responses', ABC Religion and Ethics, October 24, 2023
'Some deaths matter more to us than others - but should they?', The Minefield, ABC Radio, October 19, 2023
'What is Dignity?', The Philosopher's Zone, ABC Radio, October 14 , 2021
'Ordinary vices: Is pride an affront to, or the basis of, dignity?', The Minefield, ABC Radio, April 22, 2020,
'Is pride essential to human dignity, or an affront to the dignity of others?', ABC Religion and Ethics, April 21, 2020
'Suzy Killmister On the Socially Constructed Human and the Foundations of Human Rights', The Badlands Politics and Philosophy Podcast, March 2019
Recent Presentations
July 2025, ‘What Do We Want Sex and Gender To Be?’, Australasian Association of Philosophy conference, Brisbane, Australia
September 2024, ‘Why – and How – Should We Value One Another’, MANCEPT conference, Manchester, UK
July 2024, ‘Treating as Autonomous’, IVR Conference, Seoul, South Korea
June 2024, ‘Why – and How – Should We Value One Another’, Society for Applied Philosophy Conference, Oxford, UK
May 2024, ‘Dignity and Dementia’, Sydney Health Ethics Conversation Series, University of Sydney
July 2023, Keynote Presentation: ‘Making Human, Dehumanization, and Sub-humanization’, Munich Graduate Conference in Ethics, LMU, Munich
July 2023, ‘What’s Wrong with Gender Critical Feminism?’, Gender Workshop, LMU, Munich
June 2023, ‘Making Human, Dehumanization, and Sub-humanization’, Bergen Philosophy Colloquium, Norway
October 2022, ‘Expanding the Scope of Human Rights’, Lingnan University Philosophy Colloquium
October 2022, ‘Expanding the Scope of Human Rights’, Australian National University Philosophy Colloquium
September 2022, ‘On Whom/What Should Human Rights be Conferred?’, Recasting Human Rights Without a Shadow, MANCEPT Workshop, Manchester
November 2021, ‘Contesting Social Oppression’, Social Categories and Oppression Conference, Australian National University
June 2021, ‘Human Rights, Dignity, and Dehumanization’, Human Dignity and Human Rights: Rethinking the Connection, Melbourne
September 2020, ‘Constructing Moral Equality’, The Foundations of Human Equality Workshop, Bern
Courses Taught
Philosophy of the Social World (Monash University: 2025)
Ethics of Global Conflict (Monash University: 2025)
Critical Perspectives on Human Rights (Monash University: 2024)
Activism for Academic Freedom (co-taught) (Monash University: 2023)
Human Rights Discourse (Monash University: 2020-2023)
Human Rights Theory 1 (Monash University: 2018, 19)
Human Rights Theory 2 (Monash University: 2018, 19)
The Politics of Languages (co-taught - Honours) (Monash University: 2018)
Social Metaphysics (Honours) (Monash University: 2019)
Human Rights in Global Politics (Masters) (Monash University: 2018, 19, 20, 24)
Action Theory (Grad Seminar) (University of Connecticut: 2015)
Philosophical Topics in Human Rights (University of Connecticut: 2014, 16)
Philosophical Issues in Contemporary Life (University of Connecticut: 2014)
Indigenous and Collective Rights (University of Connecticut: 2014)
Social and Political Philosophy (University of Connecticut: 2013, 14, 16)
Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights (University of Connecticut: 2013, 15)
Human Rights in a Global Context (Massey University: 2011, 12, 13)
Contemporary Political Theory (Massey University: 2010, 11, 13)
Political Theory: From Plato to Marx (Massey University: 2010, 11)
Contemporary Political Philosophy (University of Melbourne: 2007, 09)
Professional Service
2024-2025 Department Head, Philosophy, Monash University
2023-present Member, Committee for the Status of Women in the Philosophy Profession, Australasian Association of Philosophy
2022-2024 Education Coordinator, School of Philosophical, Historical, and Indigenous Studies, Monash
2018-2025 Co-ordinator, Human Rights Major, Monash University
2018-present Board of Advisors, Social Theory and Practice
2016-2017 Board member, Philosophy in an Inclusive Key (PIKSI), Boston
2016-2017 Chair, Philosophy Department Climate Committee, UConn
2016-2017 Co-Ordinator, University of Connecticut Junior Faculty Forum
2015-2017 Mentor, Job Candidate Mentoring Program for Women in Philosophy
2016-ongoing Member, Philosophy Department Undergraduate Committee, UConn
2015-ongoing Member, Human Rights Institute Undergraduate Committee, UConn
2016 Member, Philosophy Placement Committee, UConn
2014-2015 Member, Philosophy Department Graduate Committee
2014-ongoing Member, American Philosophical Association
2013 Programme Coordinator, Politics, Massey University
2012-2013 Member, Academic Progammes Committee, Massey University
2011-2012 Postgraduate Coordinator, Politics Programme, Massey University
2011-ongoing Editor, PhilPapers leaf categories: Minority Rights; Multiculturalism and Feminism
ongoing Referee for: Australian Journal of Philosophy; Analysis; Hypatia; Mind; Journal of Moral Philosophy; Ethical Theory and Moral Practice; Journal of Human Rights; Social Theory and Practice; Erkenntnis; Res Philosophica; Neuroethics; Journal of the American Philosophical Association; Journal of Ethics; Contemporary Political Theory; Journal of Value Enquiry; Journal of Medical Ethics; British Journal of Political Science; Journal of Global Ethics; Synthese; Journal of Philosophical Research; Ergo; Journal of Social Philosophy