Prior to arriving at CU in 2005, he held positions at the University Vermont and Davidson College. In 2008, he was a visiting professor at NYU, where he obtained his PhD in in 2003. Barnett works mainly in philosophy of language and metaphysics, but also has interests in philosophy of mind. He has written on the nature of indeterminacy and vagueness, the necessity of origins thesis, the theory of stuffs, scientific essentialism, the nature of conscious beings, personal identity, and the semantics of conditional statements. He is currently developing a novel theory of content. Outside philosophy, Barnettâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interests include mountain biking, trail running, telemark skiing, and backpacking.