Tell us a little bit about yourself.

In addition to being Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in the Department of Philosophy, I am a Research Fellow in the Critical Thinking and Citizen Engagement (CTCE) Lab and an Affiliate Faculty member in the Centre for Feminist Research (CFR).

I wish I had an exciting story about how and why I ended up in philosophy. As an undergraduate, I studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE), and found myself especially interested in the history of philosophy and political thought. In particular, I took an upper-level course where we read Plato's dialogues and another on the Enlightenment where we read Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Mill and Kant. At some point, I decided to do an MA in philosophy so I could continue thinking about these things. I generally do not advise students to go to graduate school simply because they have no other idea of what they want to do when they finish their undergrad. Having said that, I feel very fortunate that, in my case, things worked out — and that I can now continue to read, write, and teach topics that I care about. 

After studying at Simon Fraser University and McGill University, I taught in upstate New York and Kelowna, B.C. before coming to ULethbridge.

How long have you been at ULethbridge and what do you here?

I started on July 1, 2025 so I am only a little over halfway through my first academic year here.

My role in the philosophy department is to oversee the Ethics curriculum. To that end, I regularly teach courses in Ethical Theory (PHIL 2001) and Applied Ethics (PHIL 3402: Biomedical Ethics).

My current research focuses on the question of whether individuals with mental illness should be eligible to receive Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID). I recently published on op-ed in the Calgary Herald on this topic, and will be giving a public talk on this issue in a few weeks at the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA).

I also recently co-founded the Canadian Association for the Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence (CAPAI). We recently launched our website and an online speaker series, and we have a series of in-person events planned for later this year.

Another initiative that I am very excited about is a new first-year course that I am teaching this term, called ‘How to Be a Student’ (IDST 1850). It aims to help transition students to university, focusing on issues like attention and distraction, time management, study skills, executive functioning, community and belonging, among others. Alongside this, I am conducting a scholarship of teaching & learning (SoTL) project, supported by a Flicker grant from the Teaching Centre.

To learn more about my work, you can visit my website.

What's the best part of your job?

I have truly fantastic colleagues — both in the philosophy department and across the university. One of the best parts of the job so far is the freedom and support we have as faculty to pursue the kinds of work that we find meaningful and important. The first-year experience initiative that I mentioned above is just one example of this, where I have found a wealth of encouragement and resources from the Dean of Arts & Science office, the Teaching Centre, and faculty members across many disciplines who are all committed to helping support our students so that they can be successful in university.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I love to be outdoors. A few years ago, I went on a three-month road trip across North America — and camped everywhere from Virginia to South Dakota to Vancouver Island. One of the things I am most excited about is spending more time in some of the amazing nature that the area has to offer, like Banff and Montana.

When I am not outside, I enjoy reading fiction and watching a good film.