I got my PhD from Rutgers, along with a graduate certificate in cognitive science, in 2011. I wrote my dissertation, Understanding Dynamic Discourse, under the direction of Jeffrey C. King. Before joining the Barnard-Columbia department, I was an assistant professor in the school of philosophy at USC. My research is mainly in the philosophy of language, though it often brings me into the realms of metaphysics, epistemology, cognitive science, philosophy of mind, and linguistics. I am currently working on several projects. One stems from my dissertation work, examining whether discourse dynamics are best accounted for by semantics or pragmatics, which also leads to me to think a lot about the nature of semantic and pragmatic explanations. I am also working on counterfactual conditionals, dealing the puzzle of counterfactual skepticism, the worry that nearly all counterfactual conditionals are false. I am also working on epistemic modals. For more about my research, and some drafts of papers, see my research page.

News

• Upcoming talks:
  • I'll be presenting some of my work on counterfactuals at the Pacific APA in San Diego in an invited symposium on counterfactuals (Friday, April 18, 2014, 1-4 p.m., with Alan Hájek and Jessica Wilson)
  • My colleague John Morrison and I will be talking about Minds and Machines at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe during the Raising the Bar event on April 29, 2014.
  • I'll be giving a talk (on TBD) at UT Austin on May 2, 2014
• I'll be speaking about using the audience response system Poll Everywhere in my Introduction to Philosophy classes at the Barnard Faculty Reflections on Teaching with Technology on Friday, April 4, 2014.