Employment

Oxford University: Associate Professor	2013-present
Oxford University: CUF Lecturer	2011-2013
Otago University: Senior Lecturer	2008-2011
Otago University: Lecturer	2006-2007
University of California, Davis: Assistant Professor	2004-2006
University of St Andrews: Research Fellow	2003-2004
University of St Andrews: Postdoctoral Fellow	2001-2003

Honorary Positions

University of St Andrews: Honourary Research Fellow	2006-2009
University of St Andrews: Associate Fellow	2004-2006

Awards

Taylor and Francis prize for Best Paper published in the Australasian Journal of Philosophy 2011 for “Assessment-contextual indexicals”. (awarded 2012).

Qualifications

PhD in Philosophy (Australian National University) awarded 2001.

BA(hons) 1st class in Philosophy (Victoria University of Wellington) awarded 1996.

Areas of Specialisation

Metaphysics, philosophy of language, philosophical logic, ethics.

Areas of Competence

Philosophy of science, philosophy of religion.

Publications

1. “A phenomenological argument for stage theory” Analysis, 75(2), 237–242 (2015).
2. “The many primitives of mereology” In S. Kleinschmidt (Ed.), Mereology and Location. Oxford University Press (2014).
3. “Conceptual Conservatism and Contingent Composition” Inquiry, 56(4), 327–339 (2013).
4. “Presupposition, disagreement, and predicates of taste” Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, 113, 163–173 (2013).
5. “Command and consequence” Philosophical Studies, 164(1), 61–92 (2013).
6. (with Mike McLeod) “Maclaurin and Dyke on Analytic Metaphysics” Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 91(1), 173–178 (2013).
7. “Cognitivism About Imperatives” Analysis, 72(1), 49–54 (2012).
8. “Against Advanced Modalizing” In J. Maclaurin (Ed.), Rationis Defensor, Studies in History and Philosophy of Science (pp. 139–153). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands (2012).
9. “Assessment-Contextual Indexicals” Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 89(1), 1–17 (2009).
10. “Hudson on Location” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 76(2), 427–435 (2008).
11. “Is Everything a World” Philosophical Studies: An International Journal for Philosophy in the Analytic Tradition, 134(2), 165–181 (2007).
12. “Theories of location” Oxford Studies in Metaphysics, 3, 201–232 (2007).
13. “Negative truths from positive facts?” Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 84(4), 591–602 (2006).
14. “Topological drinking problems” Analysis, 66(290), 149–154 (2006).
15. “Truthmakers, the past, and the future” In H. Beebee & J. Dodd (Eds.), Truthmakers: The Contemporary Debate (pp. 161–174). Oxford University Press, USA (2005).
16. “I am not now, nor have I ever been, a turnip.” Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 83(1), 1–14 (2005).
17. “The Eleatic hangover cure” Analysis, 64(284), 364–366 (2004).
18. “Distributional properties” In F. Jackson & G. Priest (Eds.), Lewisian Themes: The Philosophy of David K. Lewis (pp. 173–180). Oxford University Press (2004).
19. “Dion, Theon, and Daup” Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, 85(1), 85–91 (2004).
20. “Why the Handicapped Child Case Is Hard” Philosophical Studies: An International Journal for Philosophy in the Analytic Tradition, 112(2), 147–162 (2003).
21. “A–theory for tense logicians” Analysis, 63(277), 4–6 (2003).
22. “Axiological Actualism” Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 80(2), 137–147 (2002).
23. “A-Theory for B-Theorists” The Philosophical Quarterly, 52(206), 1–20 (2002).
24. (with Dan Marshall) “Langton and Lewis on ‘Intrinsic’” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 63(2), 347–351 (2001).
25. “Must a four-dimensionalist believe in temporal parts?” The Monist, 83(3), 399–418 (2000).
26. “There is no ‘truthmaker’ argument against nominalism” Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 77(3), 325–334 (1999).

Teaching

(since 2006; for earlier teaching, please contact me). Asterisk (*) indicates graduate-level courses. Dagger (†) indicates advanced undergraduate courses. Other courses are introductory undergraduate level.

Oxford:

• “Metaphysics of Modality”*: 2011/2
• “Mereology”*: 2012/3
• “BPhil pro-seminar”*: 2013/4
• “Ethics”† (tutorials): 2011/2, 2012/3
• “Logic and Language”† (tutorials and lectures): 2012/3
• “Knowledge and Reality”† (tutorials): 2011/2, 2012/3, 2013/4
• “Moral Philosophy” (tutorials): 2011/2, 2012/3, 2013/4

Otago University:

• “Advanced metaphysics”*: 2007; 2008; 2009.
• “Metaphysics”†: 2006; 2007; 2009; 2010.
• “Mind and language”†: 2009; 2010.
• “Mind and reality”: 2006; 2007; 2008; 2009; 2010.
• “Ethical questions”: 2006; 2007; 2009.

Service

(since 2011; for earlier service, please contact me).

College responsibilities

• Corpus Christi College: I have a variety of administrative responsibilities at Corpus. I am a member of the college’s Governing Body, and its Academic and IT committees (I have also been on Library committee in the past), and am senior PPE tutor.

University management and policymaking

• BPhil coordinator: Since October 2013 I have been primary BPhil Coordinator at Oxford’s Philosophy Faculty. This places me in overall charge of the Faculty’s popular and respected BPhil degree, a 2-year Masters-style programme involving approximately 60 students.
• Hiring panel: During 2013 I was on a hiring panel for a University Lecturership at Wadham College.

Service to the profession

• AAP 2011: I was conference coordinator for the 2011 Australasian Association of Philosophy conference, hosted in Dunedin. This is the main annual Philosophy conference for the whole of Australasia, attended by approximately 300-400 delegates. My role as conference coordinator involved planning, budgeting, booking venues and accommodation, inviting speakers, scheduling, and employing administrative assistance.
• Journals: From 2014-15 I was subject editor (for Metaphysics) of Thought; I have also acted as referee for a large number of other philosophy journals.
• Mereology workshop: During 2014 I organised an international workshop in mereology (the philosophical study of parts and wholes) based in Oxford, with support from the Mind Association, John Fell fund, and Charles Oldham trust.