Dr Tim Smartt

Co-convener, Moral Philosophy and the Good Life Program, Senior Research Fellow
BA Hons, MPhil, PhD in Philosophy (University of Sydney)

Email: timothy.smartt@nd.edu.au
Phone: 02 8204 4232
Website: www.timsmartt.com

  • Biography

    Dr Tim Smartt is a Senior Research Fellow in Philosophy at the Institute for Ethics & Society at the University of Notre Dame Australia in Sydney. His research focuses on epistemology, ethics, and decision theory/practical rationality. He is the co-convener (with Professor David Bronstein) of the Institute’s Moral Philosophy and the Good Life research program.

    Tim completed his PhD at the University of Sydney. He also holds a BA (Hons 1) and MPhil (High Distinction) in philosophy from the University of Sydney, and has been a visiting graduate student at Princeton University, King’s College London, and the University of Chicago.

  • Teaching areas

    Primary Instructor & Coordinator:

    • PHIL2140/6140 Contemporary Philosophy (2021-2022)
    • PHIL6020 Practical & Professional Ethics (2016-2022)
    • PHIL3950/6950 Philosophy as a Way of Life (2020)
    • MED5003 Bioethics (School of Medicine, 2019)
    • PHIL2070 Philosophy of Language (2018)

  • In the media

  • Journal articles and proceedings

    Peer-reviewed Journal Articles

    Book review:

    Teaching articles:

  • Conference papers

    • ‘Ethics and Epistemology: Two Different Animals’ (with Nomy Arpaly) Department Colloquium, Cornell University. March 2026. (Presented by Nomy Arpaly)
    • ‘More Scepticism about Epistemic Blame: A Reply to Boult’ Epistemic Accountability Workshop, University of Notre Dame Australia. August 2024.
    • ‘Scepticism About Epistemic Blame’ Notre Dame/Northwestern Graduate Epistemology Conference, University of Notre Dame (USA). April 2022.
    • ‘Scepticism About Epistemic Blame’ Mark L. Shapiro Graduate Philosophy Conference, Brown University. April 2022.
    • ‘Scepticism About Epistemic Blame’ Rocky Mountain Philosophy Conference, University of Colorado, Boulder. April 2022.
    • ‘Scepticism About Epistemic Blame’ Humboldt-Southampton Normativity Conference, University of Southampton. December 2021.
    • ‘Motivated Reasoning and Conspiracy Theories’ Utrecht-Sydney Conspiracy Theories Workshop, University of Sydney. April 2021. (With Mark Colyvan and Hannah Tierney)
    • ‘Motivated Reasoning and Conspiracy Theories’ UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Centre, University of California, Davis. March 2021. (With Mark Colyvan and Hannah Tierney)
    • ‘Reconsidering the Rule of Consideration: Probabilistic Knowledge and Legal Proof,’ UT Austin Philosophy Graduate Conference, University of Texas at Austin. May 2020.
    • ‘Reconsidering the Rule of Consideration: Probabilistic Knowledge and Legal Proof,’ SLLERG Seminar, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. October 2019.
    • ‘Does Ought Imply Can in Epistemology?’ 2019 Australasian Association of Philosophy Annual Conference, University of Wollongong. July 2019.
    • ‘Does Ought Imply Can in Epistemology?’ Goethe Epistemology Meeting, Goethe University Frankfurt. May 2019.
    • 'Does Ought Imply Can in Epistemology?' Current Projects Seminar, University of Sydney. May, 2018.
    • 'Does Ought Imply Can in Epistemology?' Formal Methods Research Seminar, King's College London. February, 2018.
    • 'Does Ought Imply Can in Epistemology?' Vienna Forum for Analytic Philosophy, University of Vienna. June 2017.
    • 'Does Ought Imply Can in Epistemology?' CUNY Philosophy Graduate Conference, City University of New York Graduate Centre. March 2017.

      • Comments

    • Comments on Jordan Myers, ‘An Indirect Response to Skepticism about Epistemic Blame,’ 2026 American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division Meeting. April 2026.
    • Comments on Meghan Sullivan, ‘Navigating Moral Burnout,’ Workshop on Meghan Sullivan’s Loving Strangers: Moral Responsibility and Our Inner Lives, University of Notre Dame Australia. March 2026.
    • Comments on Wes Siscoe, ‘The Structure of Justice,’ Character & Moral Responsibility, University of Notre Dame Australia. October 2023.
    • Comments on Tyler Paytas, ‘The Redundancy of Anger,’ Good Feelings: Virtues, Vices & Emotions, University of Notre Dame Australia. October 2022.
    • Comments on Christian Miller, ‘Honesty: The Philosophy and Psychology of a Neglected Virtue,’ Notre Dame School of Virtue & Character, University of Notre Dame Australia, Sydney. October 2020.
    • Comments on Amia Srinivasan, ‘Genealogical Scepticism and Genealogical Luck,’ Workshop on Amia Srinivasan’s The Contingent World, University of Basel. June 2018

  • Awards

    Research Awards

    • Early Career Researcher Award, The University of Notre Dame Australia, 2026, $9,690. "Beyond Blame: A New Approach to the Ethics of Belief"
    • Early Career Researcher Award, The University Notre Dame Australia, 2023, $3,633. "Responsible Beliefs: Accountability Practices in Epistemology" (with Adam Piovarchy)
    • Research Development Grant, The University Notre Dame Australia, 2023, $7,500. "Becoming Good: Virtue & Moral Development in Ancient Ethics" (with David Bronstein)
    • Paulette Isabel Jones Scholarship, University of Sydney, 2023, $7,000
    • Travel Grant, Honesty Project Summer Seminar at Wake Forest University & Carnegie Mellon University, 2023, $9,000
    • David Harold Tribe Research Fellowship, University of Sydney, 2021, $12,000
    • Industry Research Grant, The Scots College, 2020 -- 2021, $20,000. "Developing Virtuous Character in Educational Institutions" (Co-PI with Annette Pierdziwol and John Lippitt)
    • Lucy Firth Prize, Department of Philosophy, University of Sydney, 2020, $1,000
    • Research Grant, Sydney-Utrecht Partnership Collaboration Award, University of Sydney & Utrecht University, 2019-2020, $30,000. “Conspiracy Theories in the Information Age” (with Mark Colyvan, Brian Hedden, Hannah Tierney, Sebastian Sequoiah-Grayson, Daniel Cohnitz, Johannes Korbmacher, Stefan Werning, Tobias Stark, and Erik Stei)
    • Travel Grant, Goethe University Frankfurt, 2019, $1,699. Awarded in support of presenting research at Goethe University Frankfurt.
    • Postgraduate Research Support Grant, University of Sydney, 2019, $3,000. Awarded in support of presenting research at Goethe University Frankfurt.
    • Postgraduate Research Travel Award, Society for Applied Philosophy (UK), 2018, $1,237. Awarded in support of presenting research at MIT
    • Research Grant, Australian Research Theology Foundation, 2018 – 2019, $5,000. "Enriching Professional Ethics Education with the History of Ethics" (with Annette Pierdziwol)
    • Postgraduate Research Support Grant, University of Sydney, 2018, $2,750. Awarded in support of research conducted at King’s College London
    • Successfully applied for a Fulbright Specialist Program grant (Project FSP-P000163) to support a collaboration between Notre Dame’s Institute for Ethics & Society and Professor Candace Vogler (University of Chicago). This established an international research linkage which resulted in the IES being named an official partner institute on Professor Vogler’s $2.2m John Templeton Project “Virtue, Happiness, & the Meaning of Life” at the University of Chicago, 2017, $8,000. Further information: https://thevirtueblog.com/2017/08/29/our-newest-partner-the-institute-for-ethics-and-society-at-the-university-of-notre-dame-australia/
    • 5-Year Enhanced Chancellor's Fellowship, City University of New York Graduate Centre, 2012, US$92,000 plus full tuition (Declined)
    • Lucy Firth Prize, Department of Philosophy, University of Sydney, 2012, $2,500
    • Lucy Firth Prize, Department of Philosophy, University of Sydney, 2011, $1,000
    • Postgraduate Research Support Grant, University of Sydney, 2010, $2,200. Awarded in support of a semester spent as a visiting graduate student at Princeton University.
    • Travel Grant, Princeton University Centre for Human Values, Princeton University, 2010, US$1,000
    • Australian Postgraduate Award, 2009-2011, $61,500

    Teaching Awards

    • Member of the Mellon Philosophy as a Way of Life Network, University of Notre Dame (USA), 2019-2021.
    • Invited guest instructor in the Teaching Development Program, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, University of Sydney, 2019, $500.
    • Dean’s Teaching Award, School of Medicine (Sydney), The University of Notre Dame Australia, 2019
    • Dean’s Citation for Excellence in Tutorials with Distinction, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, University of Sydney, 2017, $500
    • Student Teaching Commendations, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, University of Sydney, 2018, 2017.
    • Tutor for PHIL3616 Philosophy of Human Rights, Department of Philosophy, University of Sydney (for Associate Professor Alexandre Lefebvre) which was awarded the 2017 Australasian Association of Philosophy Prize for Innovation in Inclusive Curricula. Further information: https://aap.org.au/prizes/inclusivecurricula
    • Letters Of Commendation For Teaching Evaluation, The University of Notre Dame Australia, 2018 (x2), 2017, 2012, 2011

  • Professional affiliations

    • Australasian Association of Philosophy, Member
    • Aristotelian Society, Member
    • Society for Applied Philosophy, Member
    • Mellon Philosophy as a Way of Life Project, University of Notre Dame (USA), Network Member, 2019-2022