Appointments

Associate Professorial Research Fellow, Wuhan University, School of Philosophy, 2018–Present

Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Notre Dame, Department of Philosophy, 2017–2018

Arts & Letters Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Notre Dame, Department of Philosophy, 2016–2017

Education

Ph.D. Philosophy, University of Notre Dame, 2011–2017

Dissertation: Structuring Metaphysical Disputes: A Foray into Meta-Ideology (Director: Michael Rea)

B.A. Philosophy (Summa Cum Laude), Syracuse University, 2007–2011

Areas of Specialization

Metaphysics

Social Philosophy

Areas of Competence

Practical Reason

Philosophy of Language

Philosophical Logic

Philosophy of Science

Research Articles

“How to Project a Socially Constructed Sexual Orientation” Journal of Social Ontology. Forthcoming.

“A Puzzle About Parsimony.” dialectica. Forthcoming.

“High-Fidelity Metaphysics: Ideological Parsimony in Theory Choice.” Pacific Philosophical Quarterly. Forthcoming.

“These Confabulations are Guaranteed to Save Your Marriage! Toward a Teleological Theory of Confabulation.” Synthese. Forthcoming. (with Samuel Murray)

“Ideology and Its Role in Metaphysics.” Synthese. Vol. 198 Issue 2 (2021) pp. 957–983.

“The Explosion of Being: Ideological Kinds in Theory Choice.” Philosophical Quarterly. Vol. 69 Issue 276 (2019) pp. 486–510.

“The Intelligibility of Metaphysical Structure.” Philosophical Studies. Vol. 176 Issue 3 (2019) pp. 581– 606.

“Yet Another ‘Epicurean’ Argument.” Philosophical Perspectives. Vol. 30 Issue 1 (2016) pp. 135–159. (with Meghan Sullivan)

Articles for Popular Audiences

“The KISS Franchise.” Essay for KISS and Philosophy, edited by Courtland Lewis (Chicago: Open Court Publishing House)

Colloquium Lectures and Conference Talks

 “Against Metaphysical Egalitarianism”, Metaphysics: Meaning and Method Conference, May 2021

  “Rational Self-Deception: Confabulation and Related ‘Pathologies’”, APA Pacific Division, April 2021 (with Sam Murray)

“Rational Self-Deception: Confabulation and Related ‘Pathologies’”, APA Pacific Division, April 2020 (with Sam Murray)Victim of the COVID-19 pandemic

“A Puzzle About Parsimony”, APA Central Division, February 2020

“Anchoring Sexual Orientation”, Meaning and Reality in Social Context Conference, January 2019

“Intrinsic Masking and Sexual Orientation”, Social Ontology Conference, August 2018

“High-Fidelity Metaphysics”, Wuhan University, May 2018

“High-Fidelity Metaphysics”, Philosophers’ Cocoon Philosophy Conference, October 2017

“The Intelligibility of Metaphysical Structure”, APA Central Division, March 2017

“Yet Another ‘Epicurean’ Argument”, Immortality Project Capstone Conference, UC Riverside, June 2015 (with Meghan Sullivan)

“A New Solution to the Problem of Temporary Intrinsics”, APA Central Division, February 2015 “A New Solution to the Problem of Temporary Intrinsics”, Western Michigan University, December 2013

Invited Commentaries

On “Parity, Incomparability, and Categorical Judgments” by Leo Yan, APA Eastern Division, January 2018

On “Your Intuitions Have No Effect On Me” by Moti Mizrahi, Philosophers’ Cocoon Philosophy Conference, October 2017

On “Are There Essential Properties? No.” by Meghan Sullivan, Notre Dame Colloquium Series, September 2014

Research Workshops and Panels

Frontiers in Epistemology and Metaphysics: A Wuhan-Zhejiang Workshop in Philosophy, October 2021, “Against Metaphysical Egalitarianism”

Junior Workshop in Philosophy of Religion, Chicago, February 2020, “Fidelity and the Content of God’s Thoughts”

Thinking About Theory Choice: A Wuhan-Leeds Workshop in Philosophy, October 2019, “Fidelity: A Constitutive Aim of Metaphysics”

Visitor Workshop Series, Australian National University, August 2019, “Fidelity: A Constitutive Aim of Metaphysics”

Lunchtime Works-in-Progress Series, University of Notre Dame, April 2018, “High-Fidelity Metaphysics”

Metaphysical Mayhem, Rutgers, August 2016, “Ontologist v Ideologue”

Young Scholars Workshop, UC Riverside, May 2015, “Yet Another ‘Epicurean’ Argument”

Time Bias and Future Planning Workshop, Vancouver, April 2015, “Yet Another ‘Epicurean’ Argument” (with Meghan Sullivan)

Non-Scholarly Presentations, Panels, and So On

Wuhan University Panel on Guns in America, May 2021, “School Shootings: Public Health, Public Outrage, and the Gap Between”

University Luncheon Discussion, April 2021, “Native Speaker-ism, Internationalization, and the Role of English in Philosophy”

Wuhan University Panel on Trump and the American Voter, January 2021, “Politicians and the Public: Who Wags Whom?”

Works in Progress/Under Review

Note: an * indicates that the work is under review.

Sexual Orientation and Intrinsic Masking*

Seek the Joints! Avoid the Gruesome! Fidelity as an Epistemic Value*

(a descendant of “Fidelity: A Constitutive Aim of Metaphysics”)

Temporal Quantifier Relativism*

(a descendant of “A New Solution to the Problem of Temporary Intrinsics”)

Against Metaphysical Egalitarianism*

Fidelity and the Content of God’s Thoughts

Ontologist v Ideologue

Explanatory Unity and the Argument from A-Theoretic Experience

Three Arguments for Maximal Realism

Honors, Awards, & Fellowships

Research Assistant, Immortality Project Grant, UC Riverside, PI: Meghan Sullivan. Including stipend, travel, and research funds (2014–2015)

Adjunct Professional Development Grant, Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, University of Notre Dame (2017)

Graduate Student Union Conference Presentation Grant, University of Notre Dame (2016)

Miscellaneous Travel Grants, Funded by the Philosophy Department of University of Notre Dame to present at various institutions (2011–2016)

Teaching

Wuhan University: Graduate Courses

Value in Metaphysics

Spring 2020

Philosophical English

Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Spring 2020 (with Ben Cross and Michael Longenecker), Fall 2020, Spring 2021

Contemporary Philosophical Issues (MA Independent Studies Seminar)

Fall 2018, Spring 2019 (Director)

Wuhan University: Undergraduate Courses

Social Philosophy

Fall 2021

Philosophy of Language

Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021

Philosophy of Science

Fall 2019, Fall 2020

University of Notre Dame: Undergraduate Courses

Introduction to Philosophy

Spring 2018

Metaphysics Seminar for Majors

Fall 2017

Environmental Philosophy

Fall 2017

Rationality and Action

Spring 2017, Spring 2018

Groups: What They Are and What They Can Do

Fall 2016 (with Rebecca Chan)

Death and Dying

Fall 2015

Advising

 MA Independent Studies Supervisor: Qian Xiao (Free Will); Fu Jiayi (Problem of Divine Foreknowledge)

Undergraduate Thesis Director: Zheng Roujia (BA 2020); Chen Nuo (BA 2021); Zhao Xinyu (BA 2022); Chen Yifan (BA 2022)

Hongyi Honors College Annual Paper Director: Fan Donghan (BA 2023)

Reading Workshop Advisor: Gender and Feminism (Spring 2020)

Service

Conference Organization

Organizer, The Wuhan University and Duke-Kunshan Lecture Series on Philosophical Topics, May 2021

Co-Organizer, 2nd Annual Wuhan University International Conference on Explanation in Philosophy (working title: “Explaining Philosophy 2020”), May 2020

with Timothy Perrine (Wuhan University)

Victim of the COVID-19 pandemic

Co-Organizer, Thinking About Theory Choice: A Wuhan-Leeds Workshop in Philosophy, October 2019

with Matt Lutz (Wuhan University)

Co-Organizer, Wuhan University International Conference on Explanation in Philosophy (working title: “Explaining Philosophy”), May 2019

with Matt Lutz (Wuhan University)

Manager, Time Bias and Future Planning Workshop, Vancouver, April 2015

under Meghan Sullivan (Notre Dame) and Preston Greene (Nanyang Technological University)

Referee Service

Journal referee for:

Acta Analytica; Australasian Journal of Philosophy; Dialectica; Ergo; Erkenntnis; Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy; Mind; Pacific Philosophical Quarterly; Philosophical Studies; Philosophy and Phenomenological Research; Topoi

Book reviewer for:

Palgrave Macmillan

Departmental-Level Service

Wuhan University

Chinese MA Program Curriculum Revision Committee, Chair, 2021

English-Language Undergraduate Thesis Defense Committee, 2021

English-Medium MA Program Admissions Committee, Member, 2021

English-Medium MA Program Curriculum Revision Committee, Chair, 2021

English-Proficiency Interviews

MA Class of 2021 (Philosophy of Science program)

“Base” Philosophy Major Curriculum Revision Committee, Member, 2020

International Philosophy Major Curriculum Revision Committee, Member, 2020

Wuhan University International Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Search Committee: Member, 2021

Member, 2020

Member, 2019

Mentor for Philosophy Major (International Concentration) students, Class of 2019

University of Notre Dame

Co-Organizer for Notre Dame Prospectives Week Visit, 2017, 2018

MAP (Minorities and Philosophy), ND Undergraduate Mentor, 2016–2017

Climate Committee, Member, 2016–2017

Graduate Committee, Graduate Student Representative, 2015–2016

5+ Graduate Student Cohort Representative, 2015–2016

Organizer for the Metaphysics Reading Group, 2014–2018

University-Level Service

Wuhan University

Instructional Work Plan for Students to Study Abroad:

Mentor, 2018–2019

Mentor, 2019–2020

Mentor, 2021–2022

University of Notre Dame

Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts:

Reviewer for Graduate Student Research Awards, 2017, 2018

Reviewer for Graduate Student Professional Development Awards, 2017, 2018

Other Things I’m Proud Of

Honors Capstone Award, Syracuse University. Awarded to best senior thesis written in humanities for completion of the honors capstone project (2011)

Peterfreund Prize, Syracuse University. Awarded to the senior philosophy major that best demonstrates originality of philosophical thought and skill and style as a writer of philosophy (2011)

Philosophy Club, C.W. Baker High School. Founded and served as inaugural president of high school philosophy club (2006–2007)

Philosoraptors, University of Notre Dame. Coached and captained co-rec flag football team. Ranked top defense in league. Reached university-wide semi-finals (2015, 2016, 2017)

2nd-place Finalist, 武汉大学运动比赛. Won 2nd-place prize (a toaster oven) for 100m sprint. Also anchored the biwn必赢 relay team, which placed 6th overall (2019)