Michele Merritt, Ph.D. 

I work in Philosophy of Cognitive Science, Feminist Philosophy, and related sub-fields of each. My current interests include (but are never limited to) the following: 

 

- Adoption, Adoptee Experiences, Abolitionism 

- Non-Human Animal Cognition, especially Canine Cognition

- Gender, Performance, and Social Cognition

- Movement (specifically dance) and cognition

- Emotions and Embodied Cognition 

 

My current position is at Arkansas State University, where I am an associate professor of philosophy. I have taught at the University of Central Florida and the University of South Carolina since obtaining my Ph.D. in 2010, at the University of South Florida. My dissertation, "Queering Cognition", was directed by Quill (formerly Rebecca) Kukla and Shaun Gallagher, and included Andy Clark, Alex Levine, and Thomas Williams as readers.

 

Besides Philosophy, I have an M.A. in Linguistics, and enjoy learning languages about as much as I enjoy reading about cyborgs. I'm also a competitive open-water swimmer, Half Ironman finisher, wine lover, and the guardian of the cutest dogs on the planet. There is a  picture of them to  the right: Tesla, Darwin, and Sufi (Sufi passed away in May 2016) . I'm also an adoptee who has recently found her biological family after not knowing anything about them for 39 years.