Education

University of California, Davis

• Ph.D., Philosophy with Science & Technology Studies emphasis, September 2019
• Dissertation: Efficiency is a Ratio: On the Character of Electronic Digital Computers
• Advisors: James R. Griesemer and Roberta L. Millstein

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• B.A., Philosophy with Literature minor, May 1998
• Magna Cum Laude
• Phi Beta Kappa

Areas of Interest

• History and Philosophy of Science and Technology
• Philosophy of Biology
• Ethics, including bioethics
• Existentialism
• Composition

Academic Appointments

• Lecturer, University of California, Davis: Department of Philosophy (Winter 2020 - present)
• Lecturer, California State University, Sacramento: Department of Philosophy (2019 - 2020)
• Lecturer, California State University, Chico: Department of Philosophy (Spring 2020)
• Visiting Scholar, Arizona State University: Center for Biology and Society (Winter 2012)

Teaching Experience

Courses Taught

• Critical Thinking | Sacramento State: Fall 2020
• Critical Reasoning | UC Davis: Spring 2022
• History of Philosophy | Sacramento State: Spring 2020
• Introduction to Philosophy | Chico State: Spring 2020
• Introduction to Philosophy of Biology | UC Davis: Winter 2022, Winter 2021, Spring 2021, Winter 2014
• Introduction to Philosophy of Science | UC Davis: Fall 2021, Spring 2015, Winter 2014
• Philosophy of Biology | UC Davis: Fall 2020, Summer 2015
• Philosophy of Language | Sacramento State: Fall 2019
• Scientific Reasoning | UC Davis: Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Winter 2021, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Winter 2020, Spring 2019, Summer 2018, Summer 2016, Summer 2014

Courses Assisted

• Asian Philosophy | UC Davis: Winter 2018
• Critical Reasoning | UC Davis: Spring 2018
• Early Modern Philosophy | UC Davis: Winter 2019
• Introduction to Bioethics | UC Davis: Fall 2018, Fall 2016
• Introduction to Logic | University of South Carolina: Fall 2000
• Introduction to Philosophy | UC Davis: Fall 2017, Spring 2014, Spring 2012
• Introduction to Philosophy of Biology | UC Davis: Fall 2012
• Introduction to Philosophy of Science | UC Davis: Winter 2015
• Minds, Brains and Computers | UC Davis: Spring 2013
• Philosophy of Biology | UC Davis: Winter 2017, Fall 2014
• Philosophy of Mind (Reader) | UC Davis: Spring 2014
• Scientific Reasoning | UC Davis: Fall 2013, Winter 2013

Publications

• "The e-Mouse Atlas Project (1992- )." Embryo Project Encyclopedia (2014-06-11). ISSN: 1940-5030

Conference Presentations

Professional

• "Can You Help Me Fold This? Proteins, Computer Architecture, and Citizen Science."
• Presented at the International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Science (ISHPSSB), Montreal, July 2015.
• Pesented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Social Studies of Science, Denver, Colo., November 2015.
• "How to Make Theory Travel: Methods and Modeling of Simulated Ecological Systems." Presented at the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) annual meeting, San Diego, October 2013.
• "Trading Fiction for Performance: How to Understand Computer Simulations of Ecological Systems."
• Presented at the International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Science (ISHPSSB), Montpellier, France, July 2013.
• Presented at the 18th International Conference of the Society for Philosophy and Technology, Lisbon, Portugal, July 2013.

Graduate

• "A Problem for Biology? Comments on Organisms, Life and Unity." Presented at the Berkeley-Stanford-Davis Philosophy Conference, Davis, CA, April, 2014.
• "No Function without Abstraction, No Simulation without Silicon: How Microprocessors Place Pressure on Theories of Technical Artifacts and Canalize Science for Good Measure." Presented at UC Davis Science & Technology Studies Graduate Student Conference/Workshop, University of California, Davis, March 2014.
• "How Long Will This Take? Computational Resources, Time and Energy in Protein Folding Simulations." Presented at the UC Davis-UC Santa Cruz Cultural Anthropology Graduate Research Conference, University of California, Davis, May 2013.
• "What Medical Ethnography Can Teach Philosophy About Population Biology Models." Presented at 2013 Interdisciplinary Graduate and Professional Student Symposium, University of California, Davis, April 2013
• "Not Even False: Minimalism, Metaphilosophy, Meaninglessness and an Unsavory Sorites Solution."
• Presented at Intermountain West Philosophy Conference, University of Utah, March 2012.
• Presented at Biology and Society Lab, Arizona State University, January 2012.
• "What We Can Expect from Frege: A Response to Gin." Presented at Inter-mountain West Philosophy Conference, University of Utah, March 2012.

American Philosophical Association Comments

• Miller, Shawn A. "What Exactly is the Target? Comments on MacIntyre, Preston, and Technological Determinism." Presented at the Pacific Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, San Francisco, CA, March 30, 2016.
• Miller, Shawn A. "Tokens, Types, Causes and Criteria: A Response to Kwek on the Malfunction Problem." Presented at the Pacic Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Seattle, WA, April 6, 2012.

Graduate Student Researcher Appointments

• Graduate Student Researcher, Department of Philosophy, UC Davis, Summer 2017
• Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures, Graduate Student Researcher for Prof. Suad Joseph, Department of Anthropology, UC Davis, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016
• Undergraduate Instructional Improvement Program Grant, "Revising PHI 31: Pedagogical Innovation for Hybrid Online and Active-learning Instruction in Understanding and Appraising Scientific Reasoning," Graduate Student Researcher for Prof. James Griesemer, Department of Philosophy, UC Davis, Summer 2013

Grants & Fellowships

• UC Davis Philosophy Department Fellowship for Service, Fall 2014
• International Society for History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology Travel Grant, Summer 2013
• Philosophy of Science Association Travel Grant, November 2012
• NSF Embryo Project Training Fellow, Winter 2012
• Visiting Scholar, Arizona State University, Winter 2012
• UC Davis Philosophy Department Fellowship, Fall 2011
• UC Davis Philosophy Department Travel Grant, July 2015, October 2013, June 2013

Academic Service

• Paper Referee for 2015 Berkeley-Stanford-Davis Philosophy Conference Chair of Session "A Neo-Lockean Reply to Johnston" at the Berkeley-Stanford-Davis Philosophy Conference, Davis, CA, April 2014.
• Chair of session at Genomics and the Philosophy of Race Workshop, University of California, Davis, March 2014.
• "Microprocessors and Protein Folding, or, Are You Sure This is Philosophy?" Presented at the UC Davis Undergraduate Philosophy Club, November 2013.
• Graduate Student Mentor, Department of Philosophy, University of California, Davis, 2013, 2015, and 2018.
• Member of Organizing Committee and Panel Participant, Training and Information of Pedagogical Salience, Department of Philosophy, University of California, Davis, September 2013 and 2015.
• Chair of session "Confirmation and Evidence" at the Twenty-Third Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association, San Diego, CA, November 2012
• UC Davis Philosophy Department Social Media (Facebook/Twitter/Tumblr), 2012-2016
• UC Davis Philosophy Department Infrastructure Committee, 2011-2012, 2018-19

Workshops & Retreats

• Participant in UC Davis Humanities Institute & Institute for Social Sciences Dissertation Workshop and Retreat, Berkeley, CA, April 13-14, 2018. (Funded)
• Participant in STS Southern California Winter Retreat, Anza-Borrego Desert, Borrego Springs, CA, Feb. 22-24, 2013. (Funded)
• Participant in 2012 MBL-ASU HPS Informatics Workshop, Woods Hole, MA, April 12-15, 2012. (Funded)

Editorial Experience

Daily Republic Newspaper

• News Editor, 2008-10
• Assistant News Editor, 2005-08
• Copy Editor/Page Designer, 2003-05
• Columnist/Book Reviewer, 2002-06
• Staff Writer, 2001-03

Essays & Book Reviews

• “An Anatomy of the World” in The Anarchist Review of Books (2022)
• "There is No Future Tree; Or, Time Works the Way You Think It Does" in The Montréal Review (2016)
• "Slacker madness" in Sacramento News & Review (2006)
• "Consider the writer" in Sacramento News & Review (2006)
• "About The Nation" in Sacramento News & Review (2005)
• "About a boy" in Sacramento News & Review (2005)
• "A poet’s prose" in Sacramento News & Review (2004)
• "Desperate longings" in Sacramento News & Review (2004)

Technical Experience

• Languages: bash, CSS, HTML, Markdown, PHP, TeX, Wiki Markup, XML
• Operating Systems: FreeNAS, GNU/Linux, macOS, PC-BSD, Windows Vista/7/10
• Web Content Management Systems: MediaWiki, phpBB, Plone, Squarespace, Weebly, Wordpress