Academics

My  research is based in the European philosophical tradition developed by thinkers like Heidegger, Nietzsche, and Foucault. Building from these great minds, I explore a broad range of philosophical topics, from the ethics of technology to the depths of mental illness. I am especially interested how these topics intersect with Japanese and other Asian philosophical traditions of thought.

Publications

  • “The Photographed Earth: Ethics in a World Made of Images” Environmental Philosophy (Forthcoming, Fall 2025)

Photography no longer merely records nature; it co-creates it, binding us ethically to a porous frontier where representations and landscapes continuously shape one another.

Environmental Philosophy

  • "A World Loved by Moonlight: Tragedy, Psychosis, and the Humanization of Art Literacy." Existential Analysis 35, no. 2 (July 2024).

This paper delves into often-unspoken realms of human suffering — tragedy and psychosis — to uncover the role that art can play in understanding and overcoming experiences that defy conventional language.

Phil Papers APA Psych Net EBSCOhost

Presentations

  • “Toward an Ontology of Death in the 21st Century” SJSU Alumni Conference, 2025

  • “Heidegger, Art, and Humanity”Chiang Mai University (Thailand) – Guest Lecture, 2022

  • “Madness and Conspiracy: Silence’s Unintended Harms” SJSU Alumni Conference, 2023

  • “Seeing the World Through Instagram…” SJSU Alumni Conference, 2022

Awards

  • GSO Merit-based Award for Research ($5000) — 2025

  • Arthur Ordaz Award (Promising Research) ($250) — 2022

Teaching

  • Phil 387: Meaning of War (2025 – Spring and Fall)

  • Phil 222: Existentialism (2025 – Summer)

  • (+many years as a TA at UH Manoa, San José State University and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo)

Study Abroad

  • Hands on Thailand, Study Abroad, funded teacher’s assistant (2024, 2023)

  • Hands on Thailand, Study Abroad, student volunteer (2022)

  • Chiang Mai University, Thailand (Guest Lecture, 2022)