About
About me
About my work
I am an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My research involves a combination of philosophy of the historical sciences, philosophy of climate science, and philosophy of modeling, as well as philosophy of biology and feminist philosophy of science. My dissertation explored the philosophical implications of using paleoclimate episodes as analogue models for contemporary climate change, and relates this scientific practice to model ontology, the use of historical sciences to make predictions, scale models, natural experiments, and data resolution. My other recent projects have involved integrating developmental biology into paleontology research, examining the use of idealization in phylogenetic models, and advocating for the elimination of the concept of “biological sex.”
About my life
I was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I moved to Boston to get my undergraduate degree at Northeastern University, where I double majored in philosophy and mathematics, and I stayed in Boston to attend Boston University for my PhD. I now live in Madison, WI.
I like basically any activity that involves being outside, especially hiking and biking. I have a very wonderful dog named Madalyn who tends to accompany me on all of my adventures. I also love eating food (and sometimes cooking it, too).
About my approach
In my research, I am committed to a practice-based philosophy of science. To me, that means that I have to read a lot of relevant scientific work and talk to a lot of scientists, and use what scientists say and do as data when I generate my philosophical arguments and conclusions. My mantra is that my work should be philosophical in character, but scientific in subject. I think that philosophers of science should be able to ask and answer scientific questions that scientists themselves aren’t equipped to.
As a teacher, I believe that students learn best when instruction accommodates their needs and interests. This can mean letting students pick their own paper topics, soliciting feedback on my class mid-semester (when I can still implement it!), giving students a choice of which readings or topics to cover, or letting students lead discussion. I also prioritize showing students how philosophical ideas can be applied to their lives, so I tend to use a lot of case studies and hands-on activities.
I am also a big fan of collaboration, whether between philosophers or interdisciplinary. I am always eager to be involved in mentorship, give feedback to peers, start coauthored papers, or be involved in research groups.