CV

Heather Hoyt
Philosophy PhD Candidate
University of Utah

Education

PhD
University of Utah, Philosophy
Expected May 2027

Dissertation
“Sacrifice and Social Welfare”
Committee: Chrisoula Andreou (supervisor), Natalia Washington, C. Thi Nguyen, Cynthia Stark, and Patricia Marino (University of Waterloo)

BA
Oregon State University, Managerial Economics
December 2020

BA
University of Utah, Philosophy & English
May 2009

Research Areas

Areas of Specialization: Philosophy of Economics, Practical Reason

Areas of Competence: Value Theory, Philosophy of Science, Game Theory

Teaching

Instructor, University of Utah
PHIL 2640 World Religions (online)
Fall 2025

PHIL 3375 Philosophy of Social Science
Spring 2025

PHIL 1250 Reasoning & Rational Decision Making (online)
Fall 2024

PHIL 1250 Reasoning & Rational Decision Making (online)
(co-instructor)
Summer 2024

Teaching Assistant, University of Utah
HUM 1600: Programming for Humanities
Spring 2024

BUS 3960: Profit, Perception, and Reality (online)
Fall 2023

PHIL 1250: Reasoning & Rational Decision Making (online)
Spring 2023

University of Utah Graduate Teaching Institute
May 2024

Workshops and Presentations

“Beyond Self-Interest: Welfare Economics and Altruistic Preferences”
PPE Society London, London, UK
July 17, 2025

“Empathy, Sympathy, Identification, and The Lady in the Van”
The 17th Annual UAPA Grad Student Conference, Albany, New York
April 12, 2025

“A Surplus of Lasagna: Inefficiencies in Altruistic Markets”
The PPE Society: Eighth Annual Meeting, New Orleans
November 2024
Poster presentation

PPE Graduate Summer Workshop at Chapman University
July 2024

“Egocentric Biases in Attitudes Toward Suffering,”
MSU/UofU Engaged Philosophy Graduate Symposium (online)
Spring 2023

Academic Service

Secretary, Philosophy Graduate Student Committee  May 2024–present
Department of Philosophy, University of Utah

Member of the University of Utah chapter of Minorities and Philosophy (MAP)

Community Service

UpChieve, volunteer tutor                                         
2023–present
Tutor high school students in writing, math, and college applications

Ladies Let’s Talk, volunteer and co-pilot   
August 2024–present
English conversations with refugee and immigrant women

Summit County Library Board, board member
2022–present

Memberships

Member of Philosophy of Science Association
Member of the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Society
Philosophy of Science Reading Group, University of Utah

Works in Progress

The Well-Being of an Altruist
Game Theory and Make-Believe
Empathy, Sympathy, Identification, and The Lady in the Van

Coursework

Graduate:
Spring 2024:
Philosophy of Mind
Philosophy of Science – Moral Psychology
Philosophy of Film

Fall 2023:
Behavioral Economics
Proseminar – Value Theory
History of Ethical Theory

Spring 2023:
Rational Choice Theory
Topics in Chinese Philosophy
Epistemology

Fall 2022:
Philosophy of Hume
Proseminar – Philosophical Methods
Advanced Deductive Logic

Other:
HarvardX Data Science, 2021
Linear Regression, Wrangling, Inference and Modeling, Probability, Visualization