Lisa Downing, professor in the Department of Philosophy, has been named chair of the department, effective July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2022.

Downing joined Ohio State’s faculty in 2006. Prior to her time at Ohio State, she taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University. She has an MA and a PhD in philosophy, both from Princeton University. She was also a fellow of the Dibner Institute for the History of Science.

Downing’s primary area of interest is in early modern philosophy, especially connections between philosophy and natural philosophy (science) in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Among other topics, Downing has worked on early modern debates concerning mechanist conceptions of body and their justification, the status of gravity and attraction, the structure of efficient causation and changing views of scientific explanation. Some of her many papers include, “Locke’s Metaphysics and Newtonian Metaphysics,” “Sensible qualities and material bodies in Descartes and Boyle” and "Berkeley's Natural Philosophy and Philosophy of Science.”

“I am proud to have been entrusted by my colleagues with this important position,” Downing said. “I look forward to leading our excellent department through the challenges ahead.”