I am a professor of philosophy at Harvard University and Director of the Harvard History of Philosophy Workshop. I grew up in rural Wisconsin but received my B.A. in philosophy from Santa Clara University in California in the Bay Area. I attended graduate school at Syracuse University and the University of California at Irvine before coming to Harvard in 2005.
My research focuses on the intersection of philosophy, science, and religion in the early modern era. An interview discussing my work can be found here. Copies of my curriculum vitae and papers are available via the links above.
I recently finished three book projects. The first is explores the philosophical significance of G. W. Leibniz's technical work in optics and mechanics (available, here). The second offers an introduction to the history of the philosophy of religion (available, here). The third contributes to a collection of translations of G.W. Leibniz's papers on natural philosophy (available, here).
I spent last year on sabbatical as a Mercator Fellow at the Center for the History of Women Philosophers and Scientists at the University of Paderborn, Germany. I am currently working on papers on the philosophy of Mary Shepherd and Emilie Du Châtelet as well as editing a collected volume of papers on Emilie Du Châtelet with Clara Carus.
In the fall, I will be teaching a seminar on Mary Shepherd with Professor Alison Simmons and a Latin reading course on Hobbes' Leviathan. In the spring, I will be offering a course on the history of philosophy of religion. Throughout the year, I will also be serving as Placement Director for the Harvard Philosophy Department.