Philosophy Department 100th Anniversary
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Philosophy Department 100th Anniversary

Graduate Placement

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Graduate Placement

Graduate Placement

The Department of Philosophy has an excellent record of placing its students in major colleges and universities. According to the 2017 Academic Placement and Data Analysis report (http://placementdata.com), we rank 18th out of 135 Ph.D. programs surveyed in our overall placement rate into tenure track or other permanent positions, and 24th in our placement rate into departments that grant the Ph.D. As of 2019, our placement rate into tenure track or permanent positions is 49%; our placement rate into departments that grant the Ph.D. is 17% (http://placementdata.com/blog/).

The entire faculty is committed to the successful placement of every student in the program. This is facilitated by the Graduate Placement Officer, who organizes placement workshops, arranges for mock interviews and works closely with students to put together a compelling CV and dossier.

It is important that students recognize that successful placement is a matter of professional development throughout the course of graduate education, and not just at its end.  The department’s interest in its alumni does not cease when they have found their first position; it endeavors to stay in touch with them and is prepared to offer further assistance in the advancement of their careers.

Notable past graduates of the Penn State Philosophy Ph.D. Program:

Robert Pippin at the University of Chicago
Iris Marion Young at the University of Chicago (deceased)
Cindy Willet at Emory University
Todd May at Clemson University.
Shannon Winnubst at Ohio State University
David Roochnik, Chair of Philosophy at Boston University
Drew Hyland, Charles A. Dana Professor of Philosophy, Trinity College (Hartford, CT)
Jacob Howland, McFarlin Professor of Philosophy at The University of Tulsa
Charles Griswold, Borden Parker Bowne Professor of Philosophy, Boston University
William Desmond, Professor of Philosophy, Katholieck Universiteit Leuven, Institute of Philosophy

For more detailed placement record, please contact Uygar Abaci, Placement Officer, 2020-2021.

Recent Placements

The following is a summary of the placement record for the Penn State Philosophy Doctoral Program, from 2024 to 2005 (reverse chronological order).

Name

Initial Placement

Graduation Date

Current Position

Julianne MannAssistant Professor, University of North DakotaSU25Assistant Professor, Univerisity of North Dakota
Andrew DomzalTeaching Assistant Professor, University of North DakotaSU25Teaching Assistant Professor, University of North Dakota
Rawb Leon-CarlyleAssistant Teaching Professor, Penn StateFA22Undergraduate Studies Advisor and DUS Programs Coordinator, Penn State
Wayne WapeemukwaPostdoctoral Fellow, University of British ColumbiaSU24 
Corinne LajoiePostdoctoral Fellow, Western Ontario UniversitySU24Postdoctoral Fellow, Western Ontario University
Zinhle ka’NobuhlaluseAssistant Professor, Southwestern UniversitySU24Assistant Professor, Southwestern University
Ashley LamarreAssistant Professor, Villanova UniversitySU25Assistant Professor, Villanova University
Iziah TopetePostdoctoral Fellow, Dartmouth CollegeSU24 Assistant Professor, Boston College
Sarah CareyVisiting Assistant Professor, Mercyhurst UniversitySU24Assistant Professor, Mercyhurst University
Cynthia Marrero-RamosPostdoctoral Fellow, Carleton CollegeFA23Assistant Professor, Carleton College
Erica GrimmAssistant Professor, Saint Mary’s UniversityFA23Assistant Professor, Saint Mary’s University
Kevin Cedeño PacheroVisiting Assistant Professor, Saint Mary’s UniversityFA23Visiting Assistant Professor, Saint Mary’s University
Benjamin RandolphAdjunct Professor, Arcadia UniversityFA23Visiting Assistant Professor, Vassar College
Jerome ClarkeAssistant Professor, American UniversityFA23Assistant Professor, American University
Mérédith Laferté-CoutuPostdoctoral Fellow, Concordia University (Canada)SU22Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts-Boston
Mercer GaryPostdoctoral Fellow, Hastings CenterSU22Assistant Professor, Drexel University
Bailey ThomasAssistant Professor, University of LouisvilleSU21Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Rhode Island
Nicole YokumPostdoctoral Fellow, University of TorontoSU21Visiting Assistant Professor, St. Olaf College
Theodore BergsmaAssistant Teaching Professor, Penn State SU20Assistant Teaching Professor, Penn State
Tano PosteraroSocial Science and Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellow at Concordia University (Montreal)SU19Postdoctoral Fellow, Concordia University (Canada)
Romy OppermanPostdoctoral Fellow, New School for Social ResearchSU20Assistant Professor, The New School 
Emma VelezAssistant Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies, University of Illinois-Urbana ChampaignSU20Assistant Professor, Illinois-Urbana-Champagne 
Kaitlyn NewmanLecturer, Georgia College and State UniversitySU20Lecturer, Georgia College and State University 
Joseph BarkerUniversity of Liverpool (Clinical Research Governance Officer)FA18 
Nathalie NyaPostdoctoral Fellow, John Carrol University Lecturer, Penn State
Tiffany TsantsoulasAssistant Professor of Philosophy, California State University, BakersfieldSU20Assistant Professor, Cal State Bakersfield
Ursula RoessigerTeaching Assistant Professor, Siena CollegeFA17Teaching Assistant Professor, Siena College
Kristopher KlotzAssistant Professor, Lynn UniversitySU19Assistant Professor, Lynn University
Edward O’ByrnPostdoctoral Fellow, Carlton CollegeSU19Assistant Professor, Illinois-Urbana-Champagne
Eyo EwaraAssistant Professor, University of Texas, San AntonioSU19Assistant Professor, Loyola University of Chicago
Daniel SmithVisiting Assistant Professor, University of MemphisSU18Assistant Professor, University of Memphis
Elif Yavnik SU18Visiting Professor, Sabanci University (Turkey)
Shaeeda MensahPostdoctoral Fellow, Temple UniversityFA18Assistant Professor, McDaniel College
Lauren NuckolsLecturer, Central Washington UniversityFA17 
Peter GiannopoulosAssistant Professor, University of Central FloridaSU17 
William ParisPostdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern UniversitySU18Assistant Professor, University of Toronto
Kimberly HarrisAssistant Professor, Marquette UniversitySU18Assistant Professor, University of Virginia
Desiree ValentineAssistant Professor, Marquette UniversitySU18Assistant Professor, Marquette University 
Aminah HasanAssistant Professor, Furman UniversitySU16Assistant Professor, Emory University
Axelle KareraVisiting Assistant Professor, Wesleyan UniversityFA15Assistant Professor, Emory University
Lindsey StewartPostdoctoral Fellow, Wellesley CollegeSU21

Assistant Professor, University of Memphis

Sara BrillAssistant Professor, Fairfield University SP04 Professor, Fairfield University
Ryan PollockGrand Valley State (3 year Visiting Assistant Professor) SP15 
André Rosenbaum de AvillezAssistant Professor, Del Mar College FA16 Assistant Professor, Del Mar College
Ronke OkeAssistant Professor, West Chester University FA15 Founder and CEO, RAO Consultants
Shaheen MoosaAssistant Professor, North Central College SP16 Associate Professor, Assistant Dean for Interdisciplinary Programs and Initiatives, North Central College
Deniz DurmuzAssistant Professor, John Carroll University SU15 Associate Professor, John Carroll University
Jameliah Shorter-BourhanouAssistant Professor, Georgia College and State University FA15Assistant Professor, University of Memphis
David JohnsonAssistant Professor, Boston College SU13 Associate Professor, Boston College
Camisha RussellPostdoctoral Fellow, Colorado College SU13Associate Professor, University of Oregon
Stephanie JenkinsAssistant Professor, Oregon State UniversitySU12 Associate Professor, Oregon State University
Toby SvobodaAssistant Professor, Fairfield University SU12 
Jesse BaileyAssistant Professor, Sacred Heart University FA11 
Michael ShleeterAssistant Professor, Pacific Lutheran University SP11Associate Professor, Pacific Lutheran University
Mariana AlessandriAssistant Professor, University of Texas Pan American SP10 Associate Professor, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Alex StehnAssistant Professor, University of Texas Pan American SU10Professor, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Michael BrownsteinAssistant Professor, New Jersey Institute of Technology SP08 Professor, John Jay College and The Graduate Center, CUNY
Masato IshidaAssistant Professor, University of Hawaii at Manoa SU08Professor, University of Hawaii at Manoa
Julia LevinAssistant Professor, Saint Francis SP08Lecturer, University of Colorado Boulder
Kyle GradyAssistant Professor, Rhodes College SU08Freedom Preparatory Academy
Omer AygunGalatasaray University – Istanbul, Turkey SP07 Lecturer, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Michael DeereAssistant Professor, Salem State University SP07Associate Professor, Salem State University
Christopher LauerAssistant Professor, University of Hawaii at Hilo SP07Professor, University of Hawaii at Hilo
Bryan LueckAssistant Professor, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville SP07Professor, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
Brian ArmstrongAssistant Professor, Georgia Regents University FA07Associate Professor, Georgia Regents University
Leigh JohnsonAssistant Professor, Rhodes College SU07 American University
Melanie ShepherdAssistant Professor, Misericordia University FA07 Professor, Misericordia University
Amy WendlingAssistant Professor, Creighton University SP06 Professor, Creighton University
Cory WimberlyAssistant Professor, University of Texas Pan AmericanSP06 Associate Professor, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Kirsten JacobsonUniversity of Maine at Orono (tenure-track)FA06Associate Professor, University of Maine at Orono
Hua Henry WangAssistant Professor, Georgia College and State UniversitySU06 
Ryan DrakeAssistant Professor, Fairfield UniversitySP05Associate Professor, Fairfield University
William RobertsAssistant University, McGill University (Political Science)SP05Associate Professor, McGill University (Political Science)
David O’HaraAssistant Professor, Augustana UniversitySU05Professor, Augustana University
Hasana SharpAssistant Professor, McGill UniversitySU05Professor, McGill University
Lara TroutAssistant Professor, University of PortlandSU05Associate Professor, University of Portland