Nicholas Abernethy | I received my BA from Queen’s University. My areas of study are meta-ethics and ethics, with a focus on applied ethics. I have done work in bioethics (on institutional conscientious objection), AI ethics (on large language model coauthorship), and climate ethics (on geoengineering). My other interests include debating, rock climbing, and fishing. I use he/him pronouns. | |
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| Leonel Alvarez Ceja (Leo) is an Indigenous Chicano (Xicanx) philosopher. Leo is a first-generation student, being the first in his family to attend middle and high school and acquire literacy skills. Leo’s ancestors are from the indigenous communities (Purépecha and Azteca) that inhabited the Mexican highlands. He is originally from Southern California, and his family currently resides in the rural villages of Paredones and Potrerillos (near the Purépecha village of Tzitzio), located in the state of Michoacán, Mexico. At present, he finds himself in the initial stages of pursuing a Ph.D. at the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University, commencing in the Fall of 2024. His primary research interests are in metaphysics (social ontology and causation) Latinx, Chicanx, Mexican, moral, political, and Mesoamerican philosophy. His work is currently focused on two areas: the first constructing a comprehensive philosophical framework explaining the totality of the Xicanx (Chicanx) identity and the second on Aztec causation. |
| Migdalia Arcila Valenzuela ma776@cornell.edu | Migdalia joined the Sage School of Philosophy in 2021. She received her MA in Philosophy (magna cum laude) from Universidad de Los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. Her main areas of interest are moral psychology, history and philosophy of psychology, and social epistemology. Other interests include Latin American philosophy with special emphasis on the history of Latin American feminism. |
| Edvard Aviles Meza eda39@cornell.edu | I am a fifth-year Ph.D. student. Before coming to Cornell, I did my B.A in Psychology and completed two masters, one in Neuroscience (UNMSM), and another one in philosophy at Central European University (CEU). My areas of interest are in the philosophy of mind and epistemology, especially through the lens of cognitive sciences. My work is currently focused on the nature of perception, attention, introspection, & imagination and how their link might bear significant consequences for discussions about mental representation, consciousness, and epistemic rationality. Other topics of interest include social philosophy (psychiatry, disability, and oppression) and the history of philosophy (Indian philosophy and early Modern philosophy). Outside philosophy, I’m a musician and a sporadic filmmaker. Edvard is a Cornell Sadov Family Graduate Student Fellow in 2024-2025. |
| Ryan Bollier | Ryan is a second-year PhD student. He received an MPhil in analytic theology from the University of St. Andrews. More recently, he was a public high school teacher in Durham, North Carolina. His interests are in moral psychology and social philosophy, especially where these disciplines bear on and relate to human vulnerability. At present, he is interested in the moral psychology of loneliness, in moral injury, and in self-illness ambiguity. He maintains additional interests in Social Work. |
| Maria Camila Castro Maldonado mcc294@cornell.edu
| I am a fourth-year PhD student at the Philosophy Department. Before coming to Cornell in 2021, I received an M.A. and B.A. in Philosophy from the Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá, Colombia). I work in social and moral philosophy, particularly in forgiveness and its relationship with norms and identity. I also work on Sound Studies and I am currently doing research on silence and listening. |
| Urna Chakrabarty uc45@cornell.edu | I joined the Sage School in 2022. My interests include social and political philosophy, ethics, epistemology, and the history of philosophy. I have a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in philosophy from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi. I am a current Telluride Scholar, and I also work as a Pronunciation Tutor at Cornell’s English Language Support Office (ELSO). |
| Sam Cherry | Sam (he/him) is a first year PhD student. He read Philosophy, Psychology, and Linguistics at St. Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, graduating with a BA (First Class) in 2023. His interests lie mostly in the philosophy of mind and cognitive science, such as the problem of other minds; conceptual issues in the methodology of neuroscience; and the philosophy and neuroscience of mystical states, prayer, and religious ritual. He also pursues lay interests in patristics and psychedelic studies. In his spare time he enjoys choral singing and hoarding books he presumes he’ll read in the future. |
| Heeyoon Choi hc822@cornell.edu | I am a third-year philosophy Ph.D. student pursuing a minor in cognitive science at Cornell University. I’m mostly interested in topics surrounding the ‘-tion’ clan in philosophy of mind (perception, attention, introspection, imagination, intention, emotion, to name a few) along with consciousness, phenomenology, and objects of thought. I’m also interested in relevant topics in aesthetics and early modern philosophy. For further information: https://blog.apaonline.org/2021/07/09/apa-member-interview-heeyoon-choi/. |
| Bobbi Cohn brc88@cornell.edu | Bobbi (she/her) is a PhD candidate at Cornell University and a part-time lecturer at Colgate University. She joined the philosophy department at Cornell in 2018, directly after she completed a BA with high honors at the University of Florida. Her dissertation has a foothold in moral psychology and a variety of applied ethics–business ethics, philosophy of education, bioethics, and philosophy of disability–as she writes about the responsibility practices in professional relationships. When not philosophizing, she is relaxing with her two cats, Theory and Practice. |
| Sara De Leonardis sd936@cornell.edu | Sara joined the Sage School in 2020. She received her MA in Philosophy (magna cum laude) from University of Florence, Italy. Her research interests primarily lie in ancient philosophy. She is mostly interested in Plato's natural philosophy, especially his physics and cosmology. Other areas of interest are ancient epistemology and feminist philosophy. |
Simon Dietz | Simon is a first-year PhD student. | |
Nikhil Dominic | Nikhil is a first-year PhD student. | |
| Jaime Andres Fernandez Uribe | I am a first-year PhD student with research interests in ethics, metaethics, and social epistemology. I earned my B.A. in Philosophy from NYU Abu Dhabi. Subsequently, I spent a year there studying the ethics of belief as a Post-Graduation Research Fellow. To take a break from reading philosophy, I enjoy reading fiction. I also enjoy basketball and soccer and use he/him pronouns.
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| Adelle Goldenberg cag328@cornell.edu | Adelle Goldenberg joined the Sage School of Philosophy as a Ph.D. student in 2022. Her research focuses primarily on feminist philosophy and legal theory. Some of her recent projects include: an analysis of how to approach tensions between free exercise claims and human rights, what the evolution of Title IX can teach us about making the law gender-neutral, and the impacts of trauma on personal identity. Prior to enrolling at Cornell, she pursued an A.B. in Philosophy at Harvard College, and an M.Phil. in Multidisciplinary Gender Studies at Cambridge University. |
| Vikram Kumar vk354@cornell.edu | Vikram joined the Sage School in 2019 and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University and Master's degrees from the University of Oxford and LMU München. His area of specialization lies in ancient and medieval philosophy; in particular, his research centers on ancient and medieval epistemology, metaphysics, and logic. In this vein, his dissertation explores the metaphysics and epistemology of the seven liberal arts in the early works of Augustine. He also has significant research interests in Hellenistic epistemology and late Platonist logic and ontology. Aside from ancient and medieval philosophy, he has areas of competence in metaphysics, epistemology, and Classical Indian philosophy. |
| "Henry" Ying Kit Kwok | I joined the Sage School as a PhD student in 2023. Before joining, I received my BA from the University of Oxford. I'm studying Philosophy and Economics. My interests primarily lie in early modern and continental philosophy, particularly the works of Descartes and Nietzsche. |
| Danielle Limbaugh dzl4@cornell.edu | Danielle Limbaugh is a PhD Candidate at the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University. Prior to starting her PhD, Danielle obtained her JD from the University at Buffalo. Danielle’s main area of research is in human rights. Outside of philosophy, Danielle loves cooking, hiking, and spending time with her husband and two sons. |
| "Steph" Xiaoyi Lu | I’m a PhD student at Cornell. I completed my B.A. in University of Hong Kong and the B.Phil. in Oxford. My main interests are epistemology, especially knowledge-how and action theory. |
| Lavaris McCellion lm825@cornell.edu | I am a PhD. Candidate in the Sage School of Philosophy. My research interests are in Cognitive Science, Language and Logic. And I have some related interests in the philosophy of mind and the philosophy of mathematics. |
| Itay Melamed im337@cornell.edu | I joined the Sage School of Philosophy as a Ph.D. student in the fall of 2022. I received my Bachelor of Law degree (magna cum laude) from Bar-Ilan University in Israel in 2013. Following law school, I worked for several years as a lawyer in the public and private sectors, dealing mainly with constitutional law, commercial law, and human rights. During this period, I discovered my desire for philosophy and decided to pursue philosophical studies at the highest level possible. My research interests are mainly moral psychology, philosophy of emotion, and the philosophy of law. Outside of philosophy, I enjoy live music concerts, hiking, and playing tennis. |
| Michael Milhim mcm379@cornell.edu | I joined Cornell in 2020. Before Cornell I received my master’s in philosophy from Northern Illinois University and my bachelor’s in journalism and philosophy from Bowling Green State University. My research interests are mostly in moral psychology and empirically oriented normative philosophy generally. Currently I’m working on a project arguing that moral considerations seep into harm judgements and how that impacts philosophical theories of harm. Some other topics I’m interested in are parasocial relationships, the recalcitrance of caring about conventional beauty, and the many ways that employees are wronged by their employers. Outside of philosophy I play disc golf, enjoy cinema and museum art, and listen to a lot of ASMR. Feel free to contact me if you’re interested in my harm project or have a mutual philosophical interest. I’m always able to make time to talk philosophy. |
| Joseph Orttung jmo248@cornell.edu | I’m a fifth-year graduate student at Cornell. My philosophical interests are in normative ethics and moral psychology. I’m particularly interested in the reactive attitudes of gratitude and resentment, and their place in our interpersonal relationships. Outside of philosophy, I enjoy running, music, playing chess, and hanging out with my cat, Arienette. |
| Z.K. Payne zkp2@cornell.edu | Z.K. (she/they) joined the Sage School of Philosophy as a PhD student in the fall of 2022. After receiving her BA in Philosophy from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2018, she worked as a research coordinator in the Psychology department at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Z.K.'s philosophical interests lie primarily at the intersections of moral psychology, ethics, and feminist theory. She is presently exploring the philosophical and psychological literature on empathy (where she plans to 'set up shop'). Additionally, she is interested in Buddhist philosophy and hopes that she may bring ancient insights to bear on contemporary questions. |
| Lanxin Shi ls794@cornell.edu | Lanxin joined the Sage School of Philosophy in 2021 after earning a B.A. in Humanities from NYU Shanghai. She is mainly interested in 19th and 20th century European philosophy. Aside from philosophy, she enjoys being around her cat, reading Russian literature, and learning new languages (although not very good at it). |
| Arundhati Singh |
Arundhati is a PhD student in the Sage School of Philosophy. |
| Anni Sun as3293@cornell.edu | Anni joined the Sage School of Philosophy as a PhD student in 2022. She works primarily in Ethics and Value Theory. Currently much of her research focuses on moral psychology and the reactive attitudes. Before coming to Cornell, she received her B.A. at Peking University in China. |
| Mengqun Sun | I joined the Sage School of Philosophy as a PhD student in 2023. Before coming to Cornell, I did my MA in Philosophy at Tufts University and BA in Philosophy at Colgate University. In philosophy, I’m primarily interested in meta-normative questions, such as questions about the nature of the normative and how things within the normative domain fit together. Outside of philosophy, I enjoy listening to music and consuming Pokémon content. |
| Farhad Taraz ft246@cornell.edu | I am a fifth-year graduate student. Although I have, indeed, very broad interests in philosophy, I try to focus on questions surrounding public reason. I find those questions interesting because: first, thinking about them gratifies my desire for a practical approach to philosophy, and second, they are located at the intersection of some of my main interests: political philosophy, social epistemology, moral psychology, and philosophy of language. Before coming to Cornell I lived an eventful life. |
| Matthew "Gus" Turyn mat298@cornell.edu |
I’m a fourth-year PhD student in philosophy. Before coming to Cornell, I completed an MA in philosophy at Georgia State University. I’m interested in the metaphysics and epistemology of modality, especially as they relate to questions about moral agency and our emotions, and in feminist philosophy. |
| Bianca Waked | Bianca Waked (she/they) is a Deaf Ph.D. Candidate at Cornell University's Sage School of Philosophy currently writing a dissertation on ableism and modal oppression. Her areas of research include Deaf philosophy, philosophy of disability, feminist philosophy (with a particular focus on Arab Islamic feminisms), and the philosophy of language. Areas of interests include the history of analytic philosophy, philosophy of art, and the philosophy of law. She will be a Graduate Fellow at Cornell's Society for the Humanities for the academic year 2024-2025. In 2019, she founded the APA-Sponsored Diversity Institute “PLUSS” and currently serves as the program director. She is a former Telluride Scholar, recipient of both the Mike Yarrow Adventurous Education Award and the George Lincoln Burr Award, and her research has been generously funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. She holds a B.A. from McGill University (First-Class Honors) and an M.A. from McMaster University. |
| Siyi (Claudia) Wang sw726@cornell.edu | I am a fourth-year PhD candidate at the Sage School of Philosophy. I work on Plato's political philosophy and moral psychology. I received my BA from NYU (manga cum laude with honor in philosophy) where I majored in philosophy and minored in Classics. In my free time, I enjoy lifting with friends and cycling. |
| Geoffrey Weiss gw299@cornell.edu | Geoffrey joined the Sage School in 2021, arriving after some graduate work at Tulane University. He received his B.A. in Philosophy and Religious Studies from Hunter College in 2011 and took some time off to travel the world and save sick and injured penguins before getting his Master’s Degree in Philosophy in 2016 from Claremont Graduate University. Geoffrey’s research interests are primarily in metaethics, moral psychology and normative ethics. He is currently working on a dissertation on what it means for something to be morally unthinkable. |
| Hannah Winckler-Olick hew52@cornell.edu |
Hannah joined the Sage School in 2018. Hannah received her B.A. in Philosophy from the College of William and Mary in 2018. Her PhD research focuses on 19th and 20th century European philosophy, especially Existentialism, and normative ethics. Her dissertation sketches an existentialist theory of responsibility and examines how such a theory can address contemporary moral and political issues, including racial privilege and gender dynamics. Other interests include feminist philosophy, theories of forgiveness, and concepts of violence. Visit Hannah’s website at https://hannahwincklerolick.com/! |
| Guyu Zhu gz238@cornell.edu | I am Guyu (he/him). I am currently a third-year PhD student. My interests are in metaethics, moral psychology, and philosophy of action. Broadly speaking, I am interested in agency and normativity in general. I was exploring expressivism and deontic modals this past summer. I did my BA in philosophy and math at Bates College. Before coming to Cornell, I also did graduate work in philosophy at the University of Chicago and Florida State University. Outside of philosophy, I enjoy cooking a lot. |
| Peggy Zhu pz243@cornell.edu | Peggy joined the Sage School in 2018 after receiving her B.A. in philosophy from Wellesley College. Her research is primarily in ancient philosophy. Her dissertation seeks to answer questions about ethics, moral psychology, and epistemology in Plato’s erotic dialogues, including the Symposium and the Phaedrus. Outside her research on Plato, she likes to think about questions in contemporary philosophy of love and their potential connections with ancient theories of eros. |