Graduate alumni | University at Albany

Although it is natural to be interested in numbers like these as a prospective graduate student, it should be noted that the sample size of actual graduates is rather small. When graduates do not go on to academic work, do not find tenure-track positions, or find but leave tenure-track positions, they often do so for idiosyncratic reasons such as geographic or family preferences.

PhD alumni

Here is a complete list of PhDs awarded by the department since 1998.

Brendan Lalor (1998) Worldly Thoughts: A Theory of Embedded Cognition (chair: Ron McClamrock) 1st position: University of Central Oklahoma, tenure track Subsequent position: Castleton State College (VT), tenure track
Robert Seltzer (2000) The Role of Intentions in Perceptual Demonstrative Utterances (chair: Ron McClamrock) 1st position: Nova University Subsequent position: Western Illinois University, tenure track
Glenn Braddock (2001) Explaining Consciousness: Naturalizing the Phenomenological (chair: Ron McClamrock) 1st position: Hunter College, tenure track Subsequent position: Skidmore College
Andrew Costa (2002) Upward Collapses and Downward Explosions: The Emergence of the Problem of Individuation in Plato and Aristotle and the Solutions Proposed by Porphyry and Boethius (chair: Josiah Gould) 1st position: Adirondack Community College, tenure track; subsequently tenured at same
Daniel Thero (2002) Understanding Moral Weakness (chair: John Kekes) 1st position: Sienna College Subsequent position: College of Saint Rose
Lawrence Stark (2003) Personal Identity and Moral Responsibility (chair: Josiah Gould) 1st position: adjunct teaching Subsequent position: Oakland Community College, Oakland County, Michigan
Alissa Hurwitz Swota (2003) Autonomy in End-of-life Decision Making (chair: Bonnie Steinbock) 1st position: University of Toronto, post doc Subsequent position: University of North Florida, tenured
Daniel Patrone (2003)
Leaving Morality Where It Is: The Particularistic Approach to Morality and the Problems of Contingency, Happiness, and Responsibility (chair: John Kekes) 1st position: Rogers State University, tenure track Subsequent position: East Stroudsburg University
James Walker (2005) Hegel's Response to Meta-critical Skepticism in the Phenomenology of Spirit (chair: Robert Howell) Winner of University at Albany's 2005 Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation award 1st position: Union College Subsequent position: Frostburg State University, tenure track
Tatiana Patrone (2006) Kant's Deduction of the Political Ideal (chair: Jon Mandle) Winner of University at Albany's 2006 Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation award 1st position: Montclair State University, tenure track Subsequent position: Ithaca College, tenured
Klaus Ladstaetter (2007) Paul Horwich on Truth and 'True' -- with Particular Consideration of the Generalization Problem (chair: Brad Armour-Garb) 1st position: Bennington College Subsequent position: Washburn University
John Styles (2008) Empirically Grounded Metaphors in Science (chair: P.D. Magnus) position: Supreme Headquarters for Allied Powers in Europe high school, Belgium; teaching chemistry and philosophy
Juliette Stevens (2008) Mental Causation: A Nonreductivist Perspective (chair: Ron McClamrock) 1st position: College of Southern Nevada, now tenured at same
Syd Johnson (2009) Proactive Procreation: The Ethical Implications of New Genetic Technologies on Parental Obligations to Future Offspring (chair: Bonnie Steinbock) 1st position: post-doc fellowship in neuroethics at Dalhousie University subsequent position: Michigan Technological University, now tenured at same
David Pinkowski (2010) Resolving Incomparability (chair: Rachel Cohon) 1st position: Bryant and Stratton College
Jonathan Auyer (2013) Illusion in the Commonplace: Reinterpreting Ernst Gombrich's Concept of Illusion (chair: Robert Howell) 1st position: Burlington College, Vermont
Edward DuBois (2013) The Case for Character: A Reply to Situationism (chair: Rachel Cohon)
Brandon Lee (2013) Phronesis After Situationism (chair: Jason D'Cruz)
Pete Murray (2013) Why the Basic Structure is Basic: a defense of the doctrinal autonomy of political philosophy (chair: Jon Mandle) 1st position: Siena College 2nd position: Saddleback College, tenure track
Jie Yin (2013) The I think, Self-awareness, and Reflexivity -- a Reconstructed Kantian Model of Self-awareness (chair: Robert Howell) 1st position: Southeast University, Nanjing, China, tenure track
Elliot Cross (2014) Motives, reasons, and morality (chair: Rachel Cohon)
Thomas Fowler (2014) The Role of The Simple Natures and Method in Descartes' Meditations (chair: Robert Meyers)
Nicholas Partyka (2014) Democracy, Political Externalities, & the Labour-Process (chair: Kristen Hessler)
Peter Reinisch (2014) Locke's Theory of Justified Resistance: An Explanation and Defense (chair: Jon Mandle)
Kimberly Van Orman (2014) Toward Explaining the Gap: How a Particular View of Explanation Underwrites the Explanatory Gap (chair: Ron McClamrock) 1st position: Institute for Teaching, Learning and Academic Leadership, University at Albany Subsequent position: Institute for Artificial Intelligence, University of Georgia
David Krueger (2015) The Self in Hume's Treatise (chair: Rachel Cohon)
John Milanese (2015) Expecting the Unexpected: A Precautionary Principle Addressing Unconsidered Dangers (chair: Kristen Hessler) 1st position: adjunct teaching Subsequent position: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, full-time lecturer
Wes McMichael (2015) Beyond Permissibility: Traversing the many moral pitfalls of abortion (a virtue ethics approach) (chair: Bonnie Steinbock) 1st position: Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, tenure track 2nd position: Fresno City College, tenure track
Kevin W. Olbrys (2015) Plato and the Sophists: Eristic Practice, Cognition, and Perception (chair Nathan Powers) Position: Bergen Community College, tenure track
Susan Parrillo-Home (2016) Adjudicating the Simulation Theory / Theory Theory Debate (with Special Attention to the Case of Autism Spectrum Disorders) (chair: Brad Armour-Garb) 1st position: adjunct at Skidmore College and subsequently Cazanovia College
Marius Pascale (2016) What Monsters May They Be: The Moral Status of Macabre Fascination and the Paradox of Horror (chair: Jason D'Cruz) 1st position: Raritan Valley Community College
Kathleen Whipple (2016) The Concept of Human Dignity and Its Role in Bioethical Discourse (chair: Jason D'Cruz)
Toan Tran (2020) The Obligation of Promises (chair: Rachel Cohon)

Note

This information is as correct as we could make it, but some of it may be out of date, incomplete, or simply mistaken. If you have any corrections, changes, or suggestions, please contact the department and let us know.