I am a recent doctoral graduate from the Philosophy Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, currently working as Visiting Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University. My dissertation focused on the metaphysical relationship between the phenomenal properties of experience and the properties of ordinary physical objects (particularly the brain and central nervous system of conscious beings). There are several other research areas that are central to this relationship including the nature of necessity and related concepts like essence and fundamentality, how our concepts refer to entities in the world, what it means for something to be conscious, and how and whether the mind has causal powers and whether these are the same or different in kind to the causal powers of physical objects. All of these topics are also discussed at some length in my dissertation, with many of the discussions inspired by historical figures in philosophy, particularly Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher of the 4th century BCE and Nagarjuna, an equally famous Indian philosopher of the 2nd century CE. I also have interests in applied ethics, particularly environmental ethics, and the foundations of philosophical traditions throughout the world. 

Although I am dedicated to the research I have done for my dissertation, I am most passionate about teaching. As a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I had great opportunities to learn what is important for students of philosophy to learn from a course and to practice crafting syllabi and in-class techniques designed to achieve those goals. I have taught (as a TA or the main instructor) several courses in applied ethics, logic, foundational world philosophical traditions, and ancient Greek philosophy. Since starting at Texas Tech, I have taught courses in philosophy of mind, world religions, and introductory philosophy at the undergraduate level. I have also taught two graduate seminars - one on the mind-body problem and one on metaphysical modality.

Prior to graduate school, I served in the Peace Corps helping a small, remote village in the Dominican Republic build an aqueduct to pipe clean drinking water to their homes and the local school.

Outside of philosophy, I enjoy homebrewing beer, playing ultimate frisbee, traveling the world, and spending time in the great outdoors.