Monash Graduates in Government, NGOs and Business
Choosing Monash School of Philosophy and Bioethics for my PhD was a no-brainer. Monash provided one of the strongest academic profiles in Philosophy in Australia and had a flourishing postgraduate culture. I cannot sing the praises of my supervisors loudly enough. John Bigelow helped me to cultivate embryonic ideas about a brief passage in Strawson into a fully formed thesis. Sam Butchart provided very close and careful reading of the argument in the final stages, and prompted invaluable revisions.
The analytic skills gained during the course of study for the PhD in Philosophy have proved to be invaluable tools for my work as a Board Member on the Mental Health Review Board of Victoria. What better preparation could one have for applying evidence about individuals’ particular circumstances against specific criteria in legislation in order to assess the justification for involuntary treatment? I have no doubt that my PhD equips me well in this important decision-making role where every hearing considers issues of autonomy, freedom, and the justification for paternalism by the State.
Dr Kylie McShane, Mental Health Review Board of Victoria.
Since completing a PhD in the philosophy of mind at Monash I have worked as a technical writer in biotechnology. While these might seem to be disparate fields there is no question that the analytic and writing skills I developed in philosophy are in constant use in my current career. Faced with a new product to document I must quickly gain an understanding of what it does within its particular scientific context. And then the challenge is to sift and order the information learned to present the key aspects that users will need, in a readily accessible form. Even though the scientific and engineering content of my writing projects is often new to me I have always felt confident because of the strong grounding in the fundamental skills required – skills that I learned and honed doing philosophy at Monash.
Dr Jim Rountree, Lead Technical Writer, Leica Microsystems
I studied history and philosophy of science in the Monash Philosophy Department, with a focus on scientific revolutions. After graduating with a PhD I found myself working as a product manager in a biotech company in the midst of one of the most important scientific revolutions in biology – the genomics revolution. What I learned at Monash uniquely prepared me to understand the rapidly shifting biotech market. Anyone developing or marketing new technology who is looking for a competitive edge should consider philosophy of science at Monash.
Dr Damien Verdnik, Program Manager, Invetech
Undertaking a PhD in philosophy at Monash gave me the skills and confidence to tackle complex public policy issues and projects. I was able to approach my work with well-developed analytical, conceptual, writing and research skills and deliver great results.
Dr Jo Waghorne, Senior Policy Advisor, Department of Sustainability, and Environment, Victorian State Government