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 Mann | Assistant Professor, University of North Dakota | SU25 | Assistant Professor, Univerisity of North Dakota |
Andrew Domzal | Teaching Assistant Professor, University of North Dakota | SU25 | Teaching Assistant Professor, University of North Dakota |
Rawb Leon-Carlyle | Assistant Teaching Professor, Penn State | FA22 | Undergraduate Studies Advisor and DUS Programs Coordinator, Penn State |
Wayne Wapeemukwa | Postdoctoral Fellow, University of British Columbia | SU24 | |
Corinne Lajoie | Postdoctoral Fellow, Western Ontario University | SU24 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Western Ontario University |
Zinhle ka’Nobuhlaluse | Assistant Professor, Southwestern University | SU24 | Assistant Professor, Southwestern University |
Ashley Lamarre | Assistant Professor, Villanova University | SU25 | Assistant Professor, Villanova University |
Iziah Topete | Postdoctoral Fellow, Dartmouth College | SU24 | Assistant Professor, Boston College |
Sarah Carey | Visiting Assistant Professor, Mercyhurst University | SU24 | Assistant Professor, Mercyhurst University |
Cynthia Marrero-Ramos | Postdoctoral Fellow, Carleton College | FA23 | Assistant Professor, Carleton College |
Erica Grimm | Assistant Professor, Saint Mary’s University | FA23 | Assistant Professor, Saint Mary’s University |
Kevin Cedeño Pachero | Visiting Assistant Professor, Saint Mary’s University | FA23 | Visiting Assistant Professor, Saint Mary’s University |
Benjamin Randolph | Adjunct Professor, Arcadia University | FA23 | Visiting Assistant Professor, Vassar College |
Jerome Clarke | Assistant Professor, American University | FA23 | Assistant Professor, American University |
Mérédith Laferté-Coutu | Postdoctoral Fellow, Concordia University (Canada) | SU22 | Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts-Boston |
Mercer Gary | Postdoctoral Fellow, Hastings Center | SU22 | Assistant Professor, Drexel University |
Bailey Thomas | Assistant Professor, University of Louisville | SU21 | Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Rhode Island |
Nicole Yokum | Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Toronto | SU21 | Visiting Assistant Professor, St. Olaf College |
Theodore Bergsma | Assistant Teaching Professor, Penn State | SU20 | Assistant Teaching Professor, Penn State |
Tano Posteraro | Social Science and Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellow at Concordia University (Montreal) | SU19 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Concordia University (Canada) |
Romy Opperman | Postdoctoral Fellow, New School for Social Research | SU20 | Assistant Professor, The New School |
Emma Velez | Assistant Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign | SU20 | Assistant Professor, Illinois-Urbana-Champagne |
Kaitlyn Newman | Lecturer, Georgia College and State University | SU20 | Lecturer, Georgia College and State University |
Joseph Barker | University of Liverpool (Clinical Research Governance Officer) | FA18 | |
Nathalie Nya | Postdoctoral Fellow, John Carrol University | Lecturer, Penn State | |
Tiffany Tsantsoulas | Assistant Professor of Philosophy, California State University, Bakersfield | SU20 | Assistant Professor, Cal State Bakersfield |
Ursula Roessiger | Teaching Assistant Professor, Siena College | FA17 | Teaching Assistant Professor, Siena College |
Kristopher Klotz | Assistant Professor, Lynn University | SU19 | Assistant Professor, Lynn University |
Edward O’Byrn | Postdoctoral Fellow, Carlton College | SU19 | Assistant Professor, Illinois-Urbana-Champagne |
Eyo Ewara | Assistant Professor, University of Texas, San Antonio | SU19 | Assistant Professor, Loyola University of Chicago |
Daniel Smith | Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Memphis | SU18 | Assistant Professor, University of Memphis |
Elif Yavnik | SU18 | Visiting Professor, Sabanci University (Turkey) | |
Shaeeda Mensah | Postdoctoral Fellow, Temple University | FA18 | Assistant Professor, McDaniel College |
Lauren Nuckols | Lecturer, Central Washington University | FA17 | |
Peter Giannopoulos | Assistant Professor, University of Central Florida | SU17 | |
William Paris | Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern University | SU18 | Assistant Professor, University of Toronto |
Kimberly Harris | Assistant Professor, Marquette University | SU18 | Assistant Professor, University of Virginia |
Desiree Valentine | Assistant Professor, Marquette University | SU18 | Assistant Professor, Marquette University |
Aminah Hasan | Assistant Professor, Furman University | SU16 | Assistant Professor, Emory University |
Axelle Karera | Visiting Assistant Professor, Wesleyan University | FA15 | Assistant Professor, Emory University |
Lindsey Stewart | Postdoctoral Fellow, Wellesley College | SU21 | Assistant Professor, University of Memphis |
Sara Brill | Assistant Professor, Fairfield University | SP04 | Professor, Fairfield University |
Ryan Pollock | Grand Valley State (3 year Visiting Assistant Professor) | SP15 | |
André Rosenbaum de Avillez | Assistant Professor, Del Mar College | FA16 | Assistant Professor, Del Mar College |
Ronke Oke | Assistant Professor, West Chester University | FA15 | Founder and CEO, RAO Consultants |
Shaheen Moosa | Assistant Professor, North Central College | SP16 | Associate Professor, Assistant Dean for Interdisciplinary Programs and Initiatives, North Central College |
Deniz Durmuz | Assistant Professor, John Carroll University | SU15 | Associate Professor, John Carroll University |
Jameliah Shorter-Bourhanou | Assistant Professor, Georgia College and State University | FA15 | Assistant Professor, University of Memphis |
David Johnson | Assistant Professor, Boston College | SU13 | Associate Professor, Boston College |
Camisha Russell | Postdoctoral Fellow, Colorado College | SU13 | Associate Professor, University of Oregon |
Stephanie Jenkins | Assistant Professor, Oregon State University | SU12 | Associate Professor, Oregon State University |
Toby Svoboda | Assistant Professor, Fairfield University | SU12 | |
Jesse Bailey | Assistant Professor, Sacred Heart University | FA11 | |
Michael Shleeter | Assistant Professor, Pacific Lutheran University | SP11 | Associate Professor, Pacific Lutheran University |
Mariana Alessandri | Assistant Professor, University of Texas Pan American | SP10 | Associate Professor, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley |
Alex Stehn | Assistant Professor, University of Texas Pan American | SU10 | Professor, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley |
Michael Brownstein | Assistant Professor, New Jersey Institute of Technology | SP08 | Professor, John Jay College and The Graduate Center, CUNY |
Masato Ishida | Assistant Professor, University of Hawaii at Manoa | SU08 | Professor, University of Hawaii at Manoa |
Julia Levin | Assistant Professor, Saint Francis | SP08 | Lecturer, University of Colorado Boulder |
Kyle Grady | Assistant Professor, Rhodes College | SU08 | Freedom Preparatory Academy |
Omer Aygun | Galatasaray University – Istanbul, Turkey | SP07 | Lecturer, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen |
Michael Deere | Assistant Professor, Salem State University | SP07 | Associate Professor, Salem State University |
Christopher Lauer | Assistant Professor, University of Hawaii at Hilo | SP07 | Professor, University of Hawaii at Hilo |
Bryan Lueck | Assistant Professor, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville | SP07 | Professor, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville |
Brian Armstrong | Assistant Professor, Georgia Regents University | FA07 | Associate Professor, Georgia Regents University |
Leigh Johnson | Assistant Professor, Rhodes College | SU07 | American University |
Melanie Shepherd | Assistant Professor, Misericordia University | FA07 | Professor, Misericordia University |
Amy Wendling | Assistant Professor, Creighton University | SP06 | Professor, Creighton University |
Cory Wimberly | Assistant Professor, University of Texas Pan American | SP06 | Associate Professor, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley |
Kirsten Jacobson | University of Maine at Orono (tenure-track) | FA06 | Associate Professor, University of Maine at Orono |
Hua Henry Wang | Assistant Professor, Georgia College and State University | SU06 | |
Ryan Drake | Assistant Professor, Fairfield University | SP05 | Associate Professor, Fairfield University |
William Roberts | Assistant University, McGill University (Political Science) | SP05 | Associate Professor, McGill University (Political Science) |
David O’Hara | Assistant Professor, Augustana University | SU05 | Professor, Augustana University |
Hasana Sharp | Assistant Professor, McGill University | SU05 | Professor, McGill University |
Lara Trout | Assistant Professor, University of Portland | SU05 | Associate Professor, University of Portland |