Philosophy Placement Program

The Department of Philosophy is committed to placing its doctoral candidates in suitable academic employment.

The three main components of the placement program has been devised to make UBC graduates competitive in the philosophy labour market.

1. Research and Publication

Graduate students are advised to tailor their seminar and thesis research to the needs of the philosophy market, while of course, pursuing their own philosophical interests. Presentation and publication are essential to success in placement. Students are required to present their on-going research in the Graduate Student Colloquium and some senior candidates are invited to give presentations as part of the Philosophy Department Colloquium.

The Faculty of Graduate Studies provides travel stipends for students presenting papers at academic conferences. Members of the Department with extensive publication experience help students prepare manuscripts for submission.

2. Teaching Experience

Most graduate students serve as teaching assistants and many doctoral students teach courses of their own, ideally at a variety of levels and in a variety of areas of philosophy. Extensive teaching experience is an asset for candidates seeking teaching positions. They should write a teaching statement, assemble a comprehensive set of teaching evaluations and should solicit at least two letters of recommendation that focus on teaching covering a period of several terms.

3. The Placement Workshop

The Philosophy Department sponsors an annual workshop for prospective job-seekers. New graduate students are encouraged to attend so that they may plan their activities in graduate school with placement in mind. Workshop activities include:

  • An introduction to preparing for the job market
  • A roadmap to the dossier: letters, writing samples, dissertation abstract, teaching statement and evaluations
  • Tips and tricks from recent job candidates
  • Videotaped mock interviews and “job talks”

Philosophy Placement Program Data

See where some of our talented alumni are working as a result of the Philosophy Placement Program.

StudentYearDissertation TitleSupervisorPosition
Jordan Wadden2023Ethics and Healthcare Artificial Intelligence: Some Problems and Solutions for Decision-Making SystemsDaniel SteelBioethicist and Regional Ethics Hub Facilitator, Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
Katherine Cheng2023The Social Construction of Personal IdentityEvan ThompsonCommunity-Based Research Coordinator, Learning Exchange, The University of British Columbia
Graham Moore2023Metasemantics, moderate inflationism, and correspondence truthOri SimchenInstructor, Langara College
Ian Heckman2022On Feeling the Dance: Motor Response and Its Place in Dance AppreciationDominic McIver LopesInstructor, Coquitlam College
Nathan Cockram2021Contextualizing testimonyJonathan IchikawaOntario Government
Richard Sandlin2020Affective Qualities: What Makes Objects PleasantMurat AydedeRegular Probationary Philosophy Professor, Douglas College
Madeleine Ransom2020Perceptual Learning for ExpertiseDominic Lopes and Murat AydedeAssistant Professor, University of British Columbia Okanagan (Tenure Track)
Yu Shing (Irwin) Chan2019Unbreak My Heart: Blame and Forgiveness in Personal RelationshipsDavid SilverSessional Instructor, University of British Columbia
Rebecca Livernois2019A Philosophical Analysis of the Concept of an Externality in Economic Theory and Policy Margaret SchabasPostdoctoral Fellow, Rotman Institute of Philosophy, Western University
Sina Fazelpour2019Evaluating Counterfactuals: Case Studies of Modeling Choices and their ImpolicationEvan Thompson and Christopher MoleAssistant Professor, Philosophy and Computer Science, Northeastern University (Tenure Track)
Garson Leder2018The Skill of Mental HealthChristopher MoleAssistant Professor of Bioethics and Medical Humanities at the Medical College of Wisconsin (Tenure Track)
Jiwon Byun2017Thomas Henry Huxley's Agnostic Philosophy of ScienceJohn BeattyAdjunct Professor, School of Liberal Studies, Hongik University, Seoul, South Korea
Stefan Lukits2016Information Theory and Partial Belief ReasoningPaul BarthaSessional Instructor, University of British Columbia
Gerardo (Jerry) Viera2016Time in Mind: The Cognitive Science of Temporal RepresentationEric MargolisTenure-Track Assistant Professorship, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
Taylor Davis2014The Evolution of Religion and the Evolution of CultureEric MargolisAssistant Professor, Dept of Philosophy, Purdue (Tenure Track)
Tyler DesRoches2014The World as a Garden: A Philosophical Analysis of Natural Capital in EconomicsMargaret SchabasAssociate Professor, Sustainability and Human Well-Being, School of Sustainability, Arizona State
Jamie Hellewell2014Political Freedom: A Defence of Natural Rights RepublicanismPaul RussellSite Director, Servant Partners, Vancouver, Postdoctoral Fellow, UBC Centre for Applied Ethics
Andrew Inkpen2014Denaturing Nature: Philosophical and Historical Reflections on the Artificial-Natural Distinction in the Life SciencesJohn BeattyAssistant Professor, Dept of Philosophy, Mount Allison University
Alirio Rosales2014The Narrative Structure of Scientific TheorizingJohn Beatty and Sarah Otto (Zoology)Management and Information Systems, Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia
Ian Brooks2013Virtue and situation: Effects of situational factors on attention and emotionScott AndersonLecturer, Fraser International College
Oisin Derry2013Agentive Experience CompatibilismPaul RussellAssistant Professor (tenure track), York University

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