People
Elyse Oakley
Student Director
I am a third year graduate student at UVA, pursuing my PhD. I study metaphysics and philosophy of cognitive science and mind, with a focus on mental health categories and mental disorder. I received my masters in Philosophy from Northern Illinois University, and my Bachelor's in Philosophy from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. Outside of the department, I mostly enjoy binge-watching series on Netflix and the like, or playing video games. I live in Charlottesville with my spouse and our three cats, all of whom are the greatest.
Kirra Hyde
Student Coordinator
I am a fourth-year grad student in philosophy at UVA. I grew up in Idaho, and I did a Master’s in philosophy at Brandeis. I’m interested in metaphysics, and have been working on natural kinds. Outside of philosophy, I like singing in choirs, dancing, and hanging out with my little Westie Stella.
Nikolina Cetic
Student Coordinator
I am a third year PhD student at U.Va., where I also received my Bachelor's degree in philosophy and cognitive science. I am currently working on a project trying to determine the role of representation and abstraction in artificial neural networks. I am also interested in topics in the philosophy of mind, the ethics of computing and information technologies, and feminist philosophy. This summer I took a trip to the Grand Canyon, which was the first time I have been to the southwest. The pictures from that trip inspired me to take up painting as a hobby, which is a lot of fun, even though I am no good at it.