curriculum vitae
william braynen

education

Ph.D. (ABD) Philosophy with minor in Cognitive Science, University of Arizona, 2004-present
M.A. Philosophy, Group for Logic and Formal Semantics at SUNY Stony Brook, 2000
/ Master thesis: Evolution of Norms and the Leviathan. Advisor: Patrick Grim /
B.S. Computer Science (first major), Applied Mathematics & Statistics (second major), SUNY Stony Brook, 2000

additional education

Complex Systems Summer School, Santa Fe Institute, New Mexico, June 2007
Study abroad
: courses in computer science, game theory, philosophy, Oxford University, England, 1998-1999

research interests

AOS: social & political philosophy, distributive justice
AOC: ethics, game theory, decision-making and psychology of decision-making, agent-based modeling, philosophy of economics, logic and critical thinking

teaching appointments

Instructor
    PHIL 322: Business Ethics (University of Arizona, Winter 2007-2008)
    PHIL 110: Logic and Critical Reasoning (University of Arizona, Summer 2006)

Co-Instructor

    Tutorial: Game Theory (Complex Systems Summer School, Santa Fe Institute, June 2007)

Teaching Assistant
    PHIL/ECON 205: The Ethics and Economics of Wealth Creation (University of Arizona, Spring 2008)
    TRAD 104: Justice & Virtue (University of Arizona, Spring 2006)
    TRAD 104: Science & Inquiry (University of Arizona, Fall 2005)
    CSE 114: Computer Science I (SUNY Stony Brook, Spring 1998)
    CSE 113: Foundations of Computer Science I (SUNY Stony Brook, Fall 1997)

Grader
    PHIL 410: History of Moral and Political Philosophy (University of Arizona, Fall 2007)
    PHIL 376: Philosophy of Language (University of Arizona, Fall 2006)

publications

(Forthcoming) “Inequality, Injustice and Leveling Down,” (Christiano and Braynen) Ratio, Blackwell Publishing.

(Forthcoming) "A Graphic Measure for Game-Theoretic Robustness," (with Grim et al.) Synthese

(2006) "Game-Theoretic Robustness in Cooperation and Prejudice Reduction: A Graphic Measure," (with Grim et al.) Artificial Life X, MIT Press (August 2006): 445-451.

(2005) "ErmineJ: Tool for Functional Analysis of Gene Expression Data Sets," (with Pavlidis et al.)
BMC Bioinformatics 2005, 6:269 (November 2005). [PDF]

(2005) "Modeling Prejudice Reduction," (with Grim et al.) Public Affairs Quarterly 19, No. 2 (April 2005): 95-125. [PDF]

(2004) "Reducing Prejudice: A Spatialized Game-Theoretic Model for the Contact Hypothesis," (with Grim et al.) In J. Pollack, M. Bedau, P. Husbands, T. Ikegami, and R. Watson, eds., Artificial Life IX, MIT Press (October 2004): 244-249. [PDF]

presentations

(2007) "SON ≠ PD: Hobbes's Theory of Rationality," Arizona Workshop in Philosophy, October 2007

(2007) "Genotype or Phenotype? Conflation of Two Concepts in Evolutionary Agent-based Modeling," Complex Systems Summer School, Santa Fe Institute, June 2007.

(2007) “Social Justice Meets Decision Making Under Uncertainty: Social Contracts and Original Positions,” Undergraduate Philosophy Club, University of Arizona, February 2007.

(2006) "Instrumental Rationality and Ethics: Organ Harvesting and Vaccination Policies," Arizona Workshop in Philosophy, University of Arizona, October 2006.

(2006) "Game-Theoretic Robustness in Cooperation and Prejudice Reduction: A Graphic Measure," (with Patrick Grim et al.) 10th International Conference on the Simulation and Synthesis of Living Systems, Bloomington, Indiana, June 2006.

(2005) "Hobbes on Computer Modeling and its Limitations," Arizona Workshop in Philosophy IV, University of Arizona, October 2005.

(2005) "Hobbes on Computer Modeling and its Limitations," North American Computing and Philosophy Conference, Oregon State University, August 2005.

(2005) Background research for "A Computer-Instantianed Model of Social Psychological Research in Prejudice Reduction," North American Computing and Philosophy Conference, Oregon State University, August 2005.

(2005) Background research for "Robustness in a Model of Prejudice Reduction" presented by Patrick Grim. Working Group for Dynamics of Social Structure, Santa Fe Institute, April 2005. (Participated in the Working Group)

(2004) "Reducing Prejudice: A Spatialized Game-Theoretic Model for the Contact Hypothesis, " (with Grim et al.) The 9th International Conference on Artificial Life, Boston, September 2004.

(2004) Background research for "Computational Imaging for Philosophical Research, " presented by Patrick Grim. Herbert A. Simon Keynote Address, North American Computing and Philosophy Conference, Carnegie Mellon University, August 2004.

(2004) Background research for "Concrete Images for Abstract Concepts: A Philosophical View," presented by Patrick Grim. Rethinking Theories and Practices of Imaging: Technology, Representation, and the Disciplines, Rochester Institute of Technology, April 2004.

(2003) "Prejudice Reduction in Artificial Societies: A Computational Model for the Contact Hypothesis," (with Grim et al.) Society for Machines and Mentality, Eastern APA, December 2003.

research reports

(2007) "Genotype or Phenotype? Conflation of Two Concepts in Evolutionary Agent-based Modeling," (with Angus, Balbin, Dwyer, Poynton, Kondor), Santa Fe Institute.

(2004) "Modeling Prejudice Reduction: Spatialized Game Theory and the Contact Hypothesis," (with Grim et al.) Research Report #04-02, Group for Logic and Formal Semantics, Department of Philosophy, SUNY Stony Brook.

(2002) "A Game-Theoretic Model for the Contact Hypothesis," (with Grim et al.) Research Report #02-02, Group for Logic and Formal Semantics, Department of Philosophy, SUNY Stony Brook.

research and industry appointments

Research Assistant, Global Society and Justice Project, University of Arizona, 2007-2008
Research Assistant, OSCAR Artificial Intelligence Project, University of Arizona, 2004-2005
Software Developer, Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Columbia University, Summer 2004
Research Assistant / Lead Programmer, Group for Logic and Formal Semantics, SUNY Stony Brook, 2002-2004
Programmer Analyst / Project Leader, Digital Video Editing R&D, Javu Technologies, 2001-2002
Software Developer, Trading Systems for Fixed Income R&D, Bloomberg LP, 2000-2001
IT Consultant / Site Manager, Instructional Computing, SUNY Stony Brook, 1999-2000
Software Developer Intern, KeySpan Energy, Summer 1998
Student IT Consultant, Instructional Computing, SUNY Stony Brook, 1997-1998
Student Programmer, Algorithm Visualization Project, SUNY Stony Brook, 1997-1998

awards and grants

Summer School Support, Complex Systems Summer School, Santa Fe Institute, 2007 (NSF Grant No. 0200500)
H. B. Earhart Fellowship, 2006-2007
NSF Graduate Funding, 2004-2005 (PI: John Pollock, NSF Grant No. 0412791)
First place in student category at Long Island Software Awards, 1998
Golden Key National Honor Society, 1998

professional service

Created a tool for Hume research to automatically convert SBN page numbers to Norton & Norton references, 2007
Website Redesign Committee for the University of Arizona Philosophy Department, Fall 2006
Session Chair for Author-Meets-Critics: Indeterminacy and Society, Russell Hardin, Pacific APA, Portland, Oregon, 2006

languages

Russian (bilingual)