nationality image_size field work_institutions residence article_title name alma_mater
united states 120px early modern theories of mind harvard university boston , massachusetts , united states alison simmons
 alison simmons bucknell -lrb- ph.d. -rrb- university -lrb- b.a. -rrb- ; university of pennsylvania
alison simmons

alison simmons -lrb- born 1965 -rrb- the samuel h. wolcott professor of philosophy and harvard college professor at harvard university .
her primary scholarly interests are in early modern theories of mind -lrb- 17th-18th century -rrb- , the relationship between mind and body , and sensory perception .
simmons studied psychology as an undergraduate at bucknell university , graduating summa cum laude with highest honors in psychology in 1987 .
she initially attended cornell university as a graduate student , studying cognitive and perceptual psychology with elizabeth spelke .
she transferred a year later to the university of pennsylvania to study philosophy under the direction of gary hatfield .
she received her ph.d. in philosophy from penn in 1994 and took her first academic job as assistant professor at harvard university .
she was promoted to john l. loeb associate professor of philosophy in 1999 .
in 2002 , she became the first woman to be tenured from a junior faculty position within harvard 's philosophy department .
-lrb- gisela striker is the first woman to have a tenured position in the department , in 1989 . -rrb-
in 2008 simmons was named the samuel h. wolcott professor of philosophy , and in 2011 she was named a harvard college professor .
as a graduate student , simmons held fellowships from the national science foundation and the national endowment for the humanities .
she was named a dean 's scholar in 1993 .
at harvard , she has been awarded a john l. loeb associate professorship , the inaugural samuel h. wolcott professorship , and a five-year harvard college professorship .
her article , `` changing the cartesian mind '' was selected for philosopher 's annual in 2001 .
simmons ' work on descartes has been particularly influential .
