Sebastiaan Meissner (Netherlands/UK)
PhD Candidate in Philosophy
Sebastiaan studies analytic philosophy with a focus on philosophy of science and philosophy of language. In particular, he is studying questions about whether scientific research yields knowledge about the world - for example, the question of whether there are real things in the world that more or less corresond with the contents of scientific theories. Having finished his coursework, he is looking forward to focusing more on his research and participating in conferences.
Sebastiaan holds a bachelor's degree from The Open University in the United Kingdom. Attracted by the funding and teaching opportunities in the U.S., he applied to a variety of programs. One of the key factors in choosing UK over other options was the friendly interactions with faculty and staff. "The people at Kentucky seemed nicer," he said. "They actually sent me personal messages, rather than just boiler plate e-mails."
Now at the end of his third year, Sebastiaan appreciates the positive environment in the Philosophy Department. "My colleagues, the graduate students - it's a good community," he said. "It's a very pluralistic department with lots of different views. People are generally supportive of one another."
Sebastiaan counts the recent birth of his daughter, now fifteen months old, as the highlight of his time at UK. He hopes to secure a post-doctoral fellowship after graduation.