Jacqueline Mae Wallis | Department of Philosophy

MA Philosophy of Biological & Cognitive Sciences

University of Bristol 2019

BS Cell & Molecular Biology, BA Philosophy

Seattle University 2015

Pronouns: she/her and/or they/them

Personal website: https://jacquelinewallis.weebly.com

My research primarily engages with philosophy of the life sciences, and I have further interests in applied ethics and public philosophy. Previously, I worked as a biology research technician at the Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA, USA, where I also did advocacy work for underrepresented and self-identified minority scientists at the center.

In philosophy of biology, my interests include mate choice and sexual selection (the topic of my MA dissertation under Samir Okasha), microbiome science and holobionts, and general puzzles in philosophy of science as manifested in biology. I plan to write my PhD dissertation on experimental systems, with a focus on microbiome-related biomedical research.

In applied ethics, I'm concerned broadly and trying to learn always. My first philosophy publication applies social philosopher Elizabeth Barnes's model of disability to a case in reproductive ethics. In addition to bioethics and medical ethics, I plan to work more on environmental ethics, especially the issues raised by the climate crisis.

In public philosophy and engaged philosophy of science, I'm interested in community science, climate change, and education across various contexts (e.g., how public philosophy can enhance graduate training, how to increase fairness in deliberation on climate adaptation, and how to model incorporation of local expertise into scientific research and policy decisions). I've been involved with the Galápagos Education & Research Alliance and various Public Philosophy projects at Penn. Through a 2023-2024 initiative funded by PLATO, I'm working as a Philosopher-in-Residence at Palumbo Academy, a public high school in Philadelphia.

At Penn I served as a Teaching Assistant for Intro Logic, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Love & Sex, and a new course (which I helped develop) called Repairing the Planet: Tools for the Climate Emergency (cross-listed in Environmental Studies). In 2023 I won a School of Arts & Sciences Dean's Award for Distinguished Teaching by Graduate Students.

In life I enjoy reading, riding my bicycle, and looking at nature. I'm always keen to connect with other early career scholars and students generally. Please reach out!

Research Interests

Philosophy of science
Philosophy of biology
Public philosophy
Community / citizen science
Bioethics
Human microbiome research at Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center (collaborator)

Selected Publications

Vaynberg, E, Hoffman, KN, Wallis, JM, & Weisberg, M. (2024). Dimensional versus conceptual incommensurability in the social and behavioral sciences. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 47(e64). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X23002182

Wallis, JM & Detlefsen, K. (2022). Philosophy, Academic and Public: Lessons from the Graduate Certificate in Public Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. Precollege Philosophy and Public Practice, 4, 91–109. https://doi.org/10.5840/p4202233022

Wallis, Jacqueline M. Is it ever morally permissible to select for deafness in one’s child?. Med Health Care and Philos 23, 3–15 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-019-09922-6.

Ronai, I., Greslehner, G.P., Boem, F., Carlisle, J., Stencel, A., Suárez, J., Bayir, S., Bretting, W., Formosinho, J., Guerrero, A.C., Morgan, W.H., Prigot-Maurice, C., Rodeck, S., Vasse, M., Wallis, J.M. & Zacks, O. “Microbiota, symbiosis and individuality summer school” meeting report. Microbiome 8, 117 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-020-00898-7

Jarrett, OD, Srinivasan, S, Richardson, BA, Fiedler, T, Wallis, JM, Kinuthia, J, Jaoko, W, Mandaliya, K, Fredricks, DN, & McClelland, RS. (2019). Specific vaginal bacteria are associated with increased risk of Trichomonas vaginalis acquisition in women. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 220(9), 1503–151 https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiz354.

Whitney, BM, Guthrie, BL, Srinivasan, S, Tapia, K, Muriuki, EM, Chohan, BH, Wallis, JM, Liu, C, McClelland, RS, Fredricks, DN, & Roxby, AC. (2020). Changes in key vaginal bacteria among postpartum African women initiating intramuscular depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate. PloS One, 15(3), e0229586. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0229586.

Carter KA, Srinivasan S, Fiedler TL, Anzala O, Kimani J, Mochache V, Wallis JM, Fredricks DN, McClelland RS, Balkus JE. Vaginal Bacteria and Risk of Incident and Persistent Infection With High-Risk Subtypes of Human Papillomavirus: A Cohort Study Among Kenyan Women. Sex Transm Dis. 2021 Jul 1; 48(7):499-507. https://doi.org/10.1097/OLQ.0000000000001343.

Dela Cruz EJ, Fiedler TL, Liu C, Munch MM, Kohler CM, Oot AR, Wallis JM, Wang J, Frishman A, Garcia K, Wiser A, Balkus JE, Srinivasan S, Golob JL, Sycuro LK, Marrazzo JM, Hawn TR, Fredricks DN. Genetic Variation in Toll-Like Receptor 5 and Colonization with Flagellated Bacterial Vaginosis-Associated Bacteria. Infect Immun. 2021 Feb 16; 89(3):e00060-20. https://doi.org/10.1128/IAI.00060-20.

Whitney BM, Srinivasan S, Tapia K, Muriuki EM, Chohan BH, Wallis JM, Liu C, Guthrie BL, McClelland RS, Hoffman NG, Fredricks DN, Roxby AC. Influence of Intramuscular Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Initiation on Vaginal Microbiota in the Postpartum Period. Clin Infect Dis. 2021 Jun 15; 72(12):e1093-e1102. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa1876

jacqwa@sas.upenn.edu