Philosophy student profiles at Murdoch University

Emma's story

Emma came to Murdoch from the University of Western Australia, enrolling in the philosophy honours program in 1995. She made the move in order to access Murdoch's strength in feminist philosophy and its commitment to interdisciplinary research. A taste for research in philosophy saw her embark on a PhD in philosophy in 1996.

Campus life may be on the wane in Australia, but Emma found a lively research community among the doctoral candidates working in the Humanities at Murdoch.

"Good connections among the graduate students from different discipline areas facilitated interdisciplinary research. Murdoch supported those connections by providing shared office space and a range of other supports."

Emma’s thesis was in applied ethics, and examined ethical issues associated with online relationships, both personal relationships and political associations. The topic was opportune, as there has been growing interest in applied ethics in Australia and internationally over the last decade. Opportunities to tutor in philosophy courses at Murdoch also provided professional experience which was valuable when going on the job market.

"Shortly after completing my doctorate I was offered a postdoctoral fellowship at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, and made the move to Canberra."

Emma worked at CAPPE until 2005. Since then she has worked at the Australian Agency for International Development and held a postdoctoral research fellowship in English and Cultural Studies at the University of Western Australia.

Top tips/recommendations:

  • Take advantage of Murdoch's flexibility to study across a range of different disciplines before you specialise.
  • Spend as much time on campus as you can, studying and socialising.
  • Keep an eye out around the campus grounds: they're home to heaps of interesting birds and bandicoots!