Department News

NEW FACULTY PUBLICATIONS: Visit PhilPapers for ongoing updates

New and Noteworthy

  • TechGuide Podcast: Career Opportunities in Tech for Non-STEM Students
    11/1/24

    Barry Smith delivers the secret to breaking into tech for non-stem students. TechGuide podcast host Ryan Atkinson interviews Dr. Smith about the best tech-related educational and career opportunities. Topics include: Importance of Ontologies; Career Opportunities for Non-STEM Students; Industry Demand; Skills and Traits of a Successful Ontologist; and Educational Pathways and Resources. The TechGuide podcast is here.

  • The Baldy Center Blog features Alexandra Oprea and Daniel Stephens
    10/30/24
    In the year 2024, there are national elections across 73 different democracies with different electoral systems. Over 1.5 billion voters (of an eligible 2.4 billion) have already cast a ballot in 56 of these elections and at least another billion are expected to do so by the end of the year *.  We presume that these voters want to discharge their duty competently, but what would it mean for them to do so?
  • Commercializing Ontology; Lucrative Jobs for Philosophers
    11/1/24

    An interview with Barry Smith and John Beverley is featured in the APA Blog Substack Newsletter. They reveal how philosophers can transition into interesting and lucrative public/private sector jobs in ontology. Read the blog, here.

  • John Beverley wins $3.8 million grant from NIH
    9/19/24
    Congratulations to John Beverley, winner a $3.8 million grant from the National Institute on Aging. Beverley's project is focused on philosophically-informed ontology development related to the psychological study of aging.  Read the news story by Bert Gambini.
  • Templeton Foundation $2.5 million grant supercharges PPE research capacities
    7/22/24
    The John Templeton Foundation has awarded a $2.5 million research grant to support the work of faculty in UB’s Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) program. The innovative research project will demonstrate how diversity, disagreement and dynamism are crucial resources for fueling an open society, not problems to be managed. Professor Ryan Muldoon, who directs the PPE program, is the grant’s principal investigator. Co-principal investigators include fellow UB faculty members Justin Bruner, associate professor of philosophy; David Emmanuel Gray, associate teaching professor of philosophy; Jacob Neiheisel, associate professor of political science; Alexandra Oprea, assistant professor of philosophy; Alexander Schaefer, assistant professor of philosophy; and Erik Kimbrough, Chapman University professor of political economy and philosophy.
  • Philosophy, Politics and Economics program recognized as a ‘Hidden Gem’
    9/30/24
    The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) has recognized UB's Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) program as a ‘Hidden Gem’ that enhances students’ analytical skills. The program creates prepared leaders eager to shape and improve the relationship between markets and the liberal sociopolitical order. Read the news story by Bert Gambini.
  • Alexandra Oprea's research on compulsory voting published by Cambridge UP
    3/8/24
    Alexandria Oprea's research, published online by Cambridge University Press, strengthens the normative case for compulsory voting by arguing that it could improve democracy by reducing polarization, which existing work suggests can lead to democratic backsliding. Read the news story by Bert Gambini.
  • Katie Johnson and Vi Vonderhaar have been awarded the Adam Smith Fellowship by Mercatus, a highly competitive fellowship in which graduate students gather to discuss classic works in political economy.
    Philosophy graduate students win Mercatus' Adam Smith Fellowships
    6/18/24

    Philosophy graduate students Katie Johnson and Vi Vonderhaar have each been awarded Adam Smith Fellowships by Mercatus, a highly competitive fellowship in which graduate students gather to discuss classic works in political economy.

NOTEWORTHY: The American Philosophical Association (APA) has awarded a grant to David Emmanuel Gray for the Mentor Observation Program. Over the next two years (2024 to 2025) Dr. Gray will participate in the APA's Mentor Observation Program with Jack Musselman (Associate Professor of Philosophy, St. Edward's University) for the American Association of Philosophy Teachers (AAPT). The program abstract is here.