Graduate Students

I graduated from UCLA in 2018 with a BA in Philosophy. I am most interested in contemporary political philosophy, social philosophy, and ethics, especially as they relate to globally situated questions of public importance. I spent the last three years working for South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA - another way of saying Middle East) humanitarian and political advocacy groups. I started “Full Potential” — an online collective dedicated to empowering SWANA women, living in the region and in the diaspora. We host panels, organize advocacy campaigns, and post informative content aimed at clearing misconceptions commonly held about the SWANA region (check us out on Instagram @full__potential). Feel free to reach out: sara.azmoudeh@tufts.edu.

I graduated from MIT in 2020 with a BS in Mathematics and Computer Science and in 2022 with an MS in Computer Science. I then worked for a year as a software engineer at a carceral reform nonprofit. My primary interests are in meta-ethics, ethics, and moral psychology. I am interested in the structure of deliberation, especially in exploring the tension between Kantian constructivism that emphasizes activity and self-consciousness and mystical traditions that aspire to passivity and non-self-consciousness. For example: in deliberation, is it virtuous or vicious to turn your attention to your deliberative process itself? Or: is it possible to make a mistake in identifying which agent you are? Separately, I am interested in restorative justice and pacifism -- especially as they are confronted with emergency situations and power imbalances -- and related questions about how to navigate fear, anxiety, and moral anger. For example: how do our empirical expectations about someone's behavior (including ourselves) interact with our normative expectations for them? Or: what is the distinction between giving up on something and leaving it up to someone untrustworthy? I am also always interested in metaphysics, philosophy of religion, and critical theory. Please get in touch at dbau01@tufts.edu.

I graduated with distinction from the University of British Columbia in 2024 with a BA in Cognitive Systems. My primary philosophical interests are in the philosophy of science and metaethics. What are the causes of the replication crisis in the social sciences? How should we understand the logic of scientific explanation and confirmation? What does it imply for one to be normatively obligated? Outside of academics, I am interested in coral, social deduction games, soccer, and living the good life. Feel free to reach out to me at: gabriel.cameron_bazo@tufts.edu.

I graduated from Fudan University with a BA in Philosophy in 2022 and then spent a year studying jazz music in Shanghai before coming to Tufts. My main areas of research interest are the philosophy of language and epistemology. I also wish to learn more about critical theory. Besides philosophy, I enjoy playing jazz guitar and video games. Feel free to reach out to me at yiqing.cao@tufts.edu.

I studied Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, and Psychology at the University of Toronto. After I graduated, I worked as a researcher in industry and academia. My philosophical interests include philosophy of science, philosophy of social science, epistemology, and feminist philosophy. Outside of philosophy, I like to read fiction and stay active. If you are a prospective student, please feel free to email me at oceana.ding@tufts.edu.

I graduated from USFQ in Ecuador with a BA in International Relations in 2020 (magna cum laude) and a BA in Liberal Arts in 2022 (summa cum laude). I also spent a year at the Philosophy Department at the University of Tübingen, Germany. My philosophical interests are broad and include political philosophy, the philosophy of mind and cognitive sciences, and the history of philosophy (especially Kant). I am also moved by international politics, literature and art history. Outside of philosophy I enjoy sports, making bread and pizza, playing chess, and recently I'm trying to resume an old passion for the violin and classical music.

I am a senior at Tufts while also enrolled in the fifth-year program. My philosophical interests are contemporary philosophy, epistemology, and philosophy of mind. I am currently researching what is wrong with higher education with my advisor for her book.

I am interested in going into academia after finishing my education. I want to focus on writing and researching how philosophy can aid in resolving some of the social and personal issues individuals face in their everyday lives.

Outside of philosophy, my primary interests are crocheting and spending time with my family; I mostly crochet hats during the spring/summer and blankets and sweaters in the fall/winter.

You are more than welcome to reach out to me at kimmone.henry@tufts.edu.

I graduated with a BS in Computer Science from UTD in 2009 before spending a decade in Silicon Valley working in software development on teams tackling everything from online payment fraud prevention to employee hiring and retention to machine learning data optimization for self-driving cars. My primary interests are in philosophy of language and epistemology, with a particular focus in their relationship to ethics in AI. Secondarily, I am also interested in research in ancient philosophy, especially Aristotle. You can reach me at andrew.hubbs@tufts.edu

Before coming to Tufts, I was a student of philosophy and computer science at Ashoka University. My primary interest is the philosophy of language, with a particular focus on pragmatic phenomena. I also take a personal interest in thinking about art, self-identity and how these might relate to our linguistic choices. Outside of academics, I enjoy windy days, colorful things and being near water. You can reach me at deepti.jayakrishnan@tufts.edu.

I graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Philosophy from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in 2023. I have broad philosophical interests spanning various areas of philosophy, including metaphysics, epistemology, and logic, as well as game theory, Buddhist philosophy, and comparative philosophy. However, the questions that I am primarily interested in asking concern the philosophy of mind and cognitive science: What is the nature of mental causation? What is the nature of non-human animal mentality, and what can it tell us about the evolution of human mentality? What is the nature of self-knowledge, and is this kind of knowledge fallible? Can we (or how might we) explain the nature of consciousness in a manner that is consistent with physicalism while still respecting the unique properties of consciousness as a natural phenomenon? Outside of philosophy, I am an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction (I especially love Ray Bradbury’s fiction), and among other activities, I enjoy writing short stories, eating good vegetarian food, exploring the natural world (especially through hiking and bike-riding), and listening to the Grateful Dead. Feel free to email me at tjungb01@tufts.edu. 

I graduated in 2022 from UMKC with a BA in Philosophy. My main interests in philosophy are naturalism/theism debates, philosophy of action, meta-ethics, and medieval philosophy. I also spend way too much time thinking about my golf swing.

I graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in Philosophy in 2017 and started serving as an Air Defense Artillery Officer in the United States Army. During the last seven years, I have lived abroad in South Korea and Japan, supporting missile defense operations throughout the region. I enjoy exploring the ethical implications of emerging and digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence, internet access, robotics, etc. as well as the philosophy of law, with special emphasis on theories of crime, punishment, and justice in society. In my free time, I enjoy road tripping with my wife and dog, cooking, and photography. I'm also a self described 'tattoo nerd' with ink from ten countries and counting. Feel free to contact me at robert.laval_leyva@tufts.edu.

I graduated from Wake Forest University with a BA in Philosophy and a double minor in psychology and neuroscience. My interests in philosophy include the philosophy of neuroscience, philosophy of mind, and comparative philosophy between Chinese and Western philosophy. I am currently working on the scientific explanations for the problem of consciousness and the generalizability of consciousness. I am also interested in the Chinese Heart-Mind philosophy system. My email is lliu24@tufts.edu.

Lucie (Yiran) Lu is a first-year MA student, and her philosophical interests are epistemology and metaphysics. Before coming to Tufts, she received her BA in philosophy and comparative literature from NYU.

I graduated from the University of Toronto in 2023. As an undergraduate I began with an interest in metaphysics, which eventually turned into an interest in the philosophy of language. I also care about moral psychology, especially accounts of normative learning. You can reach me at snavar01@tufts.edu.

I graduated from Arizona State University with a BA in Political Science in 2016. In the seven years since then, I have served as an Infantry Officer in the United States Army. I am very interested in Just War Theory, particularly questions about the moral conduct of combatants in war. I am also interested in metaethics and epistemology. Outside of philosophy, I enjoy fitness, traveling, and spending time with my family. Please feel free to reach out to me at gerald.prater@tufts.edu.

Before coming to Tufts, I competed in policy debate and studied philosophy at Gonzaga University. My primary interests are in philosophy of mind, philosophy of perception, and aesthetics and I tend to approach these areas from a 4E (embodied/embedded/enactive/extended) cognition perspective. Often you can find me asking questions about the ways that external objects—especially digital technologies and art objects—influence and facilitate cognitive processes. I am also interested in how the way we answer these questions implicates moral and social philosophy. Outside of philosophy, I like to go on walks, enjoy the company of my friends, drink tea, and listen to music.

Hello! I graduated from Saint Mary’s College of California in 2022, where I studied in the Integral Program of Liberal Arts. Since then, I have divided my time between teaching for the Great Books Summer Program and traveling in Europe. I have broad philosophical interests, but currently my strongest one is in ancient philosophy, particularly at the intersection of ontology, epistemology, and ethics in Plato and Aristotle. I find it hard to distinguish what is philosophical in my life from what is not, but when I am not reading philosophy or socializing, I love to play guitar and exercise. Please feel free to reach me at william.roush@tufts.edu.

I graduated from Le Moyne College in 2023 with a BA in History. Prior to attending Le Moyne, I was also an undergraduate student at Tufts, where I studied philosophy. I was driven to return to both Tufts and to the study of philosophy by a desire to explore questions at the foundations of the humanities. My goal is to better understand statements about human minds, human experiences, groups of people, and other objects of study that are currently resistant to purely scientific description. This involves a variety of philosophical disciplines, including metaethics, epistemology, and philosophy of language. I am also very interested in the philosophy of logic and the questions it raises about rational thought more generally. Outside of philosophy, I enjoy walks with my friends, reading genre fiction, and creative writing. Feel free to contact me at: paul.schneible@tufts.edu.

I graduated from Fordham University in 2020 with a BA in Economics. Afterwards, I spent some time as an accountant before obtaining a post-baccalaureate diploma in philosophy from Simon Fraser University. My primary philosophical interests are in metaethics and philosophy of mind. I also enjoy learning about ancient philosophy as well as Kant/ post-Kantian continental philosophy. Some things I like are the New York Jets, the Grateful Dead, and long-form hiking. Please feel free to reach me at theodore.schoneman@tufts.edu.

After graduating from Duke University with a degree in Cultural Anthropology, I moved to Somerville where I have spent the last several years working as a career coach in the non-profit sector. I began auditing philosophy courses at Tufts in 2020 and am excited to now be joining the department as a Master’s student. My interests are primarily in philosophy of language, philosophy of mind and cognitive science, epistemology, and metaphysics. I am curious about the ways philosophers use the study of language to frame and answer questions about the nature of the mind, its access to reality, and the nature of reality itself. I am currently reading about theories of non-linguistic thought, intelligence, and the link between language and personhood. You can reach me at jennifer.sherman@tufts.edu.

Before going to Tufts I studied philosophy at the University of Oslo. When it comes to philosophy, I am interested in metaphysics, philosophy of mind and philosophy of action, especially where it does intersect with technology. Additionally, I am also intrigued by political philosophy and the occasional ethical dilemma. 

Outside of my academic pursuits, you can often find me at the dance floor - where I particularly enjoy salsa and west coast swing dancing. I also like martial arts and cheap novels. 

My e-mail is line_horgen.thorstad@tufts.edu - please feel free to reach out!

In 2024 I graduated from the University of Toronto with BA in Philosophy. During my studies, I developed an interest in meta-ethics, applied ethics, social theory, free will, and conceptual engineering, but I am excited to expand my philosophical interests. My hobbies include reading fiction, watching baseball, and music (listening to it, creating it, writing about it, playing it – really anything to do with it). I can be reached at alexander.trachsell@tufts.edu.

I recently graduated from UPenn with a BA in Philosophy and minors in both mathematics and logic, information & computation (LGIC). In the interim, I also spent a year studying philosophy as a visiting student at Pembroke College, Oxford. I'm mostly interested in questions that cross-cut through the philosophy of mathematics, logic, epistemology, metaphysics, and the philosophy of language. Outside of philosophy, I enjoy reading literature, writing poetry, and hiking. Feel free to reach out at avllah01@tufts.edu.

I graduated from UCLA with a BS in Mathematics and a BA in Philosophy in 2022. I am broadly interested in the philosophy of mathematics, formal epistemology, and decision theory, but especially where each intersects with the infinite. Beyond my philosophical interests, I enjoy cooking, baking, hiking, tennis, video games, and unsuccessfully trying to learn new crafts.

I graduated from Carleton College in 2023 with a double major in philosophy and Classics. I am happy to discuss and learn about any philosophical issue, but I am especially fascinated by epistemology, metaphysics, logic, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, and ancient philosophy. My favorite philosophical problems are the ones that keep me up at night, like the liar paradox and McGee’s apparent counterexamples to modus ponens. I wrote my senior thesis about what determines whether a conditional is true or false. Having failed to answer this question in my thesis, I continue to spend much of my time staring into space and thinking about conditionals. I am also obsessed with the nature of abstract entities, be they properties like blueness, mental entities like thoughts and feelings, or necessary truths like the law of non-contradiction. The only things I like besides philosophy are dogs, candy, and ancient Greek. You can reach me at emma.macarthur_warner@tufts.edu.

I graduated from Cornell University in the Fall of 2023 with a BS in Development Sociology and Environmental Governance (summa cume laude, distinction in research). During my time in undergraduate, I pursued a minor in philosophy and completed independent research in moral psychology on private wealth and ideology. Broadly, I am interested in moral philosophy, philosophy of law, and social ontology. I have a particular interest in studying how wealth, class, and information are implicated in the reproduction of inequality-enforcing institutions, along with how characteristics of institutional design fit in (or not) with individual psychology. Apart from philosophy, I enjoy triathlon, cooking, and spending time outside. If you have any questions or would like to connect, please feel free to reach out to me at eric.west@tufts.edu.

I graduated from the University of Chicago, where I studied philosophy, in 2021. I’m primarily interested in ethics and epistemology, especially where they intersect. I also have a longstanding interest in Kant. You can reach me at swyatt01@tufts.edu.

I earned my BA degree from Vassar College in 2023, double majoring in Greek and Roman Studies and Philosophy and minoring in Music Performance before spending a year in the Post-Bacc Classics program at Penn. I am primarily interested in ancient philosophy, especially ethics and political philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, but am also curious about 19^th century philosophy, contemporary ethics, and eager to explore new philosophical interests. Outside of philosophy, I enjoy playing piano, walking, and visiting museums.

I graduated from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen in 2023 with a BBA in Economics. My interests in philosophy include philosophy of language, metaethics, and epistemology. I am particularly curious about various topics about modality and truth, especially epistemic modals and theories of truth. Outside of philosophy, I enjoy playing video games. You can contact me at  zzhang35@tufts.edu.