Vanessa Schipani
Philosopher. educator. Journalist.
I'm currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to this, I was a science journalist for 10 years, working most recently for FactCheck.org, where I vetted claims made by politicians about climate change to public health.
As a philosopher, I examine the importance of science communication - particularly the media - in maintaining a functioning democracy. For example, see my recent paper in Synthese. My research relates to debates about inductive risk and values in science in the philosophy of science and public reason in political philosophy. Empirical studies in the science of science communication inform my work.
I also take seriously my position as an educator. While I enjoy teaching unique courses in my area of expertise, such as a "Science Communication in Democracy" course highlighted in a recent article in UPenn's newsletter, I'm also adept and eager to teach an array introductory courses, such as Introduction to Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Bioethics, Environmental Ethics, Ethics, Epistemology, Pragmatism, Existentialism and more.
When I'm not teaching or conducting research, I write for the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media and organize events that put journalists and philosophers in the same room, including a session on the philosophy of science journalism at the 2022 Philosophy of Science Association Conference. In 2023-24, I'm also a Climate and Democracy Fellow with the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy and the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities.
For a PDF version of my full CV, see here (last updated Oct. 6, 2024). Please feel free to contact me at schipani@sas.upenn.edu.