2025-26 Entering Cohort

• Ryne Barry -  I was born and raised in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. I received my BA and MA in philosophy from the University of Georgia, where I developed a strong interest in the history of philosophy—particularly 19th- and 20th-century Continental thought. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the problem of foundations in philosophy: Can philosophy begin and justify its investigations without presupposing anything about what it is investigating—whether that be knowledge or being? I wish to explore this problem through the lens of the phenomenological tradition (especially the works of Husserl, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty) and to demonstrate how rethinking the problem of philosophical foundations can illuminate ongoing questions in contemporary metaphysics and epistemology. Outside of philosophy, I’m passionate about film. I love watching movies—anything from avant-garde to big-budget blockbusters—and I’m eager to deepen my understanding of film history and the filmmaking process. I’m also a longtime fan of heavy metal music and enjoy going to shows whenever I can.

   

• Nathan Brant - I am originally from western Pennsylvania where I received my B.A. in philosophy with minors in mathematics and physics from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. After a year spent teaching middle and high school mathematics, I attended Kent State University for a M.A. in philosophy. During this time, I encountered the philosophy of FWJ Schelling and wrote my thesis on his 1811 draft of The Ages of the World and Schelling’s unique approach to narrative philosophy. In my research I hope to continue exploring these themes and how narrative philosophy may open a new cannon, particularly with nineteenth century American literature. Outside of philosophy, I have a passion for film, strategy games, and tea.

• Matthew Kwak - A born-and-raised Californian, I completed my Bachelor's in Philosophy at Colorado College in 2019. After pursuing further pre-medical study, I decided to embark on a career in academic philosophy instead, eventually finishing a Master's in Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University in 2025. Although my strengths and interests are in 19th and 20th century German thought, I take keen interest in the contemporary.

• Alejandro Molina - I was born and raised in South Florida, where I attended Florida Atlantic University and completed six semesters of mechanical engineering. In this time, I became interested in my faith and eventually entered St. John Vianney College Seminary with the intention of becoming a Catholic priest. It was in seminary that I was introduced to the history of philosophy. I was immediately drawn to philosophy after reading Aristotle and Descartes. From here, my interest in philosophy grew. After completing my BA in Philosophy, I decided to leave seminary to pursue graduate studies in philosophy. My main philosophical interests are in medieval philosophy, Catholic philosophy, St. Anselm and Free Will, and the problem of evil. I do also enjoy the history of philosophy, and as such find almost all of philosophy interesting. Outside of philosophy I love to workout, watch sports, and enjoy movies with friends.  

• Hong Phuc Nguyen - I was born and raised in a small village in Vietnam, spending my childhood on the paddy fields, in the rivers, and in Buddhist temples. I was an undergraduate in Philology and Education at Hanoi National University of Education, Vietnam, before pursuing a master's degree in Philosophy in the United Kingdom, and lived there for some years. Besides 19th-20th century Continental Philosophy, for the past seven years, I have been working mainly on Martin Heidegger and his intersection with non-Western philosophical traditions, such as Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. To me, Heidegger is much more of an Eastern thinker at his core. Recently, I have been thinking of proposing a new understanding of metaphysics through an integrated phenomenology of the will, between Heidegger's phenomenology and Yogacara Buddhism. This aims to shed new light on the nature and structure of metaphysics, and also proposes some developments on the issues raised in later Heidegger, like identifying a new way of thinking and overcoming metaphysics. My tentative idea is this: Metaphysics, in its nature, is representation, which can be phenomenologically understood as the result and activity within the structure of the will. Therefore, the overcoming of metaphysics must pass through a transformation of the will itself. In addition to those concerns, I also have a great interest in Eastern mysticism, Mindfulness, and Spirituality.

2024-25 Cohort

• Behan Alavi Before pursuing philosophy full time, I was an unhappy computer scientist in Virginia. I quit my job after some years in despair, but by grace or chance, I was led to philosophy once more. I received my master’s at the University of New Mexico focusing primarily on Heidegger and German Idealism. My main interest is metaphysics, or rather, a constant re-examination of metaphysics, which is nothing but a relentless questioning of our most fundamentally held beliefs and principles. My goal in this re-examination is neither to dispense with metaphysics nor to choose the correct way of seeing the world; it is an effort, perhaps a hopeless dream, of reaching a peculiar state in which all metaphysics and all things are both absolutely true and also nonchalantly absolutely false. Drawing upon what Hegel calls speculative philosophy, I aim to develop a method of ontological addition which does not bias against subtraction. Existentially, I aim to advocate a life of unconditional commitment through complete disengagement, a close-minded resoluteness by virtue of utter openness. Such bizarre outlooks necessitate both a rational openness towards the identity of difference and a nonsensical conviction about the possibility of impossibilities. Seen from this perspective, the heart and thrust of my labor is making absurdity and contradiction absolutely essential to philosophy.

   

• Kirt Broesche Jr.  I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. I attempted a degree in chemical engineering before I was convinced that philosophy was the call to the “Good” life. I resettled in Austin where I received my BA in Philosophy from Saint Edward’s University. I completed my master’s at Loyola University Chicago focusing on psychoanalysis, phenomenology, and Chicago jazz music. My philosophical interests primarily reside in 19th and 20th century Continental philosophy. I am interested in Derrida’s deconstruction of psychoanalysis and Hegel’s speculative dialectic. I aim to challenge the Hegelian notion of the teleological development of “Spirit” to trace a different ethics of Spirit. Outside of academics, I am a jazz musician and composer with a particular fondness for the line between “vaporwave” and “hard bop.”

• James Chadwell I was born and raised in central New Jersey. I studied political science at American University until realizing that the most interesting political questions are really philosophical ones. I transferred to Belmont University, where I received my BA in Philosophy. My primary philosophical interests are metaphysics and philosophy of mind. I am particularly interested in Kant’s theoretical philosophy and in Wittgenstein as a successor to Kant. I am also interested in skepticism and philosophy of language. My non-philosophical interests include music, languages, and history.

• Nanda Harish  I grew up in the coastal city of Kochi, India, where I did my schooling and trained in classical (carnatic) music. I received my bachelor's degree with honors in philosophy from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, and my master's degree in the philosophy of the social sciences from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Music has always stuck with me, as I performed with the music society of my college as an undergraduate and, during my master's degree, performed as the lead vocalist for a jazz fusion band. My research interests include the philosophy of gender, feminist theory and social and political philosophy. I am particularly interested in what gender concepts — such as ‘woman’, ‘man’, ‘cis’ and ‘trans’ — mean and how gender can be understood in ways that can overcome the cisnormative and binary understanding of gender concepts in dominant cultural contexts which marginalizes trans (binary and non-binary) people and their gender experiences. If I am not doing philosophy, you can probably find me cooking or enjoying a hearty meal, practicing my stick and poke tattooing skills or taking a long walk, all accompanied by a carefully curated playlist.

   

• Abijeet Pant I completed my undergraduate work at Georgetown University in Qatar where I majored in International Economics and minored in Philosophy. I was broadly interested in various areas of philosophy, namely political philosophy, history of philosophy and epistemology. Because Philosophy had a strong pull on me, I decided to pursue a Masters in the discipline. Kent State University’s pluralistic MA program helped me build a solid background in various traditions of philosophy (analytic, continental, and pragmatist). In my Masters’ thesis, I expound and examine John McDowell’s reading of Hans-Georg Gadamer in his Mind and World (1994). This thesis which crosses the analytic-continental divide and engages with questions of epistemology by taking the history of philosophy seriously exemplifies the kind of work I primarily aim to continue in my PhD at University of Kentucky. I am also interested in social and political philosophy (and more recently ethics)- an interest that is grounded in a deeper passion to bring philosophy to bear on practical and pressing matter. 

• Pedro Pennycook  I grew up in Recife, Brazil. I received my MA in Philosophy from the Federal University of Pernambuco and came to UK as a Fulbright Fellow. My philosophical interests lie mainly within 19th and 20th century continental (German) philosophy, with a particular emphasis on social and political strands of thought. I also have interests in other areas of philosophy (and throughout the humanities), such as Literary Theory, Critical Theory, psychoanalysis, aesthetics, neopragmatism, and 4-e cognition. Recently, I have also been fascinated by Amerindian Philosophy, with particular focus on Ontological Turn Anthropology. In my spare time, I like to play the guitar, take walks, and write. I frequently  contribute to Brazilian art and literature magazines, such as Cult and Outras Palavras

• Xuan Yang I was born in Beijing, China. I obtained my bachelor’s degree from Gordon College, where I double-majored in mathematics and philosophy. I then earned an MA in Philosophy at Marquette University. After a year as a doctoral student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I decided to transfer to the University of Kentucky to continue pursuing my doctorate. My academic interests primarily lie in ancient Greek and medieval philosophy. I have a special focus on Neoplatonism and Byzantine philosophy, particularly the insightful distinction between essence and energies as articulated by Eastern theologians and philosophers. My research explores areas of both philosophy and religion, seeking to harmonize and elucidate the intricate aspects of Neoplatonism and Byzantine philosophy. Outside of my academic pursuits, I enjoy watching movies that make me relax. When time and money allow, I love traveling to new and beautiful places.

2023-24  Cohort

• Byriah Loper I was raised in southern New Jersey, moved to northern New Hampshire at the age of 13 (at which point I designed and helped build the house which I lived in with my family), and moved to Wilmore, Kentucky at the age of 17. During high school, I received a contract to write my first book, which was published in 2016. I am currently in the process of completing editing for a second book, which is scheduled to be released in Fall 2023. I attended Asbury University, where I earned BA’s in History and Latin, and then attended Asbury Theological Seminary, where I earned a MA in Theology, Philosophy, and Apologetics. My philosophical interests stem primarily from the analytic tradition, and include philosophies of mind/theories of consciousness, epistemology, meta-ethical theory, theodicy, ontology, logic, and the philosophies of science, history and religion. I have especially focused on analyses of modern theories of emergence and the mereological implications of higher order living sciences on epistemology and philosophies of religion, specifically evaluating supervenience relations and nonreductive physicalism. Outside of the above topics, I am a master modular origamist who has designed hundreds of original three-dimensional geometric artworks which have been exhibited throughout the world. Several of these have also been featured in the Wall Street Journal or sold as commissioned artworks. At the intersection of mathematics and art, this work is the subject of the aforementioned books, and has prompted my further work in developing a conceptual design process I refer to as Sphere Theory, which synthesizes components of art, mathematics, and concepts from the philosophies of the natural sciences.