Teaching

Independent Instructor

Science in Global Perspective - Fall 2026, University of Pittsburgh

Science has never been the practice of any singular society or religion. In this course, we explore science as a global phenomenon by considering how different practices and traditions of science developed in disparate global contexts, how science travelled and was transformed through global circulation, and how a global and comparative perspective can inform our understandings of science, its history, and its philosophy. We pay particular attention to the movement of materials, texts, technologies, and people in eighteenth to twentieth century Empires and colonial contexts.

Thinking About the Environment - Spring 2027, University of Pittsburgh

This course explores analytical tools available from philosophy of science to reason clearly about pressing environmental issues (e.g., climate change, nuclear power, and chemical pesticides) and encourages students to find the best available evidence and judge what conclusions, and what actions, it warrants. We draw from a range of sources including scientific reports, indigenous perspectives, citizen science initiatives, and media reflections to critically engage with environmental discourse and locate each of our roles in shaping it.

Teaching Assistant

Mind and Medicine - Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, University of Pittsburgh

Students are introduced to the philosophy of medicine and the philosophy of psychiatry in this course. We ask questions about what medicine and psychiatry do, what health, illness, and disease are, how medicine and psychiatry relate to the natural and social sciences, and about the roles of medical evidence and medical knowledge. Throughout the course, students are encouraged to reflect on the connections between these ideas and their own experiences and future careers.

Science 2050: Towards the Future - Spring 2020; Summer 2021 and Fall 2022, University of Sydney

This interdisciplinary unit invites students to explore the multifaceted nature of science, examining both the common threads running through scientific practice and the ways science differs across disciplines, cultures, and worldviews. Drawing on perspectives from mathematics, physics, biology, and Indigenous knowledges, the course challenges students to think more rigorously about scientific inquiry and prepares them to grapple with the complex, interdisciplinary problems of the future, such as climate change, disease outbreaks, and misinformation.

Science, Ethics, and Society - Spring 2020, University of Sydney

This course examines the relationship between science and society, with particular attention to the health sciences, biodiversity, climate change, and environmental challenges. Major themes include how publics relate to scientific knowledge and the role of trust and expertise; the relationship between so-called “Western Science” and other knowledge systems, with a focus on Aboriginal Australian knowledges; and how science relates to social and political values. Students develop the ability to present coherent arguments about the relationship between science and society and about the ethical issues raised by developments in modern science and its applications.