On Friday, May 15th, the 9th Annual Paul Hammond Lecture will be presented by Dr. Emily Austin. The Paul Hammond Memorial Lecture, named in honor of the late Paul Hammond, invites a speaker to present a talk at the Jesup that explores philosophy for a lay audience. Hammond, the son of Debby and Scott Hammond, grew up on MDI and was a professor of philosophy who passed away in 2015. He was passionate about discussing ideas and current events, as well as promoting well-reasoned and logical arguments and debate.

Emily A. Austin is a Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC. Her scholarly work focuses on Ancient Greek theories of complex emotions, including the fear of death, grief, patriotism, and comedic malice.

Dr. Austin is the author of Living for Pleasure: an Epicurean Guide to Life, published by Oxford University Press. Written for a non-academic audience, it shows how Epicurean philosophy can help us navigate the challenges of modern life. The book has been reviewed in The Guardian and the Times Literary Supplement, and it was awarded the inaugural Journal of the History of Philosophy Book Prize for public philosophy.

Dr. Austin grew up in Arkansas, where she attended Little Rock Central High and graduated from Hendrix College. She earned her doctorate from Washington University in St. Louis in 2009. Dr. Austin is currently a visiting professor at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.