Initially inspired to pursue a career as a classical musician, I attended Cal State Northridge (Los Angeles, CA) to study flute performance, eventually earning bachelor's degrees in Philosophy and Women's Studies. There my studies focused on morality and the role that feminist theory can play in moral theorizing traditionally focused on rationality and impersonal outcomes. My capstone theses for these degrees were a pair of  papers  on  Kantian ethics  and ethics of care.

I completed my Ph.D. at the University of Maryland in 2015. My path through graduate school was circuitous. Initially interested in problems at the intersection of metaphysics and ethics, my graduate work focused on issues in meta-ethics. My meta-ethical misgivings evolved into meta-philosophical ones, bringing me back again to questions in metaphysics (now with my attention fixed on semantics and linguistics). My focus is currently directed toward the features of languages and their relationship to ontology. Particularly, I’m curious what characteristics a language must (not) exhibit if that language is to be useful for ontological investigation. This focus pairs with a particular, internalist conception of natural language meaning. Along with my investigation into metaphysical methodology, I am exploring the degree to which such a conception of meaning can more aptly address puzzles arising from human semantic competence such as vagueness, polysemy, and context-sensitivity.

I joined the faculty at Shandong University in 2019 and am currently an Assistant Professor teaching courses in language, logic, and philosophy of science. Before that I was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania for two years, where I taught courses in political theory, early-modern history, environmental ethics, and in mind.