Advisor: Professor Donald Morrison

Joy is a PhD candidate in philosophy and a Mellon Foundation Sawyer Seminar Pre-Doctoral Fellow at the Medical Humanities Institute at Rice University. Her research primarily focuses on Aristotle's virtue ethics and moral psychology, with additional interests in Feminist Philosophy and Bioethics. Joy's dissertation argues that, within Aristotelian ethics, a pleasant life constitutes a third good life alongside the philosophical and moral life. By examining the explanatory and normative aspects of a pleasant life, she defends Aristotelian virtue ethics against critiques of being empirically rare and normatively irrelevant. As a fellow at the Medical Humanities Institute, Joy addresses ethical issues related to reproductive technology, drawing on her background in feminist philosophy and bioethics.

Outside of philosophy, Joy enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking and road trips, and cherishes the time spent with her child, Peri.