In honor of the 125th anniversary of the first PhD degree being conferred at Northwestern University in 1896, The Graduate School (TGS) is highlighting PhD alumni community in the 125 years of Alumni Spotlight Series. Throughout 2021, their series will highlight 125 alumni profiles, aimed at building community, bridging knowledge, recognizing achievements, and inspiring others.
Meet Alexandra Bradner ’05 PhD in this Q&A alumni profile from TGS’s spotlight series.
Alexandra Bradner
Bradner graduated from Northwestern with a PhD in philosophy, with a particular interest in the philosophy of science. Bradner is currently the executive director of the American Association of Philosophy Teachers, and has taught at a handful of colleges around the country.
“I have worked very hard, at the highest governance levels of my discipline, to remind philosophers that teaching is the most valuable and impactful thing that they do; it’s where our primary focus should be. This might not be the case for every discipline. But, I would argue, philosophy is centrally about the nurturing of a particular collection of teaching and learning virtues,” said Bradner.