About Me

My name is Shen-yi Liao, and you can call me ‘Sam’ (he/they). I am a professor at University of Puget Sound in the philosophy department. I am also affiliated with the Asian studies, bioethics, gender & queer studies, and neuroscience interdisciplinary programs.

Before, I was a Laurance S. Rockefeller visiting faculty fellow at Princeton University, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow at University of Leeds, an assistant professor at Nanyang Technological University, a visiting assistant professor at Kansas State University, a graduate student at University of Michigan, and an undergraduate student at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. I am from Taipei, Taiwan.

Nowadays, my primary research interests are in philosophy of mind and cognitive science, and social philosophy (especially philosophy of race). I am working on a book about objects and spaces where cognition meets oppression, such as medical devices, colonialist statues, and photographic technologies. My other research areas include experimental philosophy, experimental philosophy, bioethics, philosophy of language, and aesthetics. In addition, I am passionate about all things Taiwan, from music to food to music about food, and also Taiwanese philosophy.

To learn more, check out my curriculum vitae, or reach out to me via email or Bluesky.