Dr. Sylvia Berryman

Biography

Sylvia Berryman studied ancient Greek philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin and has served as a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at King’s College London, where she worked as an editorial assistant on the Ancient Commentators on Aristotle project. She joined the Department of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2004, following five years in the Department of Philosophy at Ohio State University. Berryman has received numerous fellowships and grants from prestigious institutions including the Center for Hellenic Studies, the National Humanities Center, the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and the National Science Foundation. Her research interests focus on ancient Greek natural philosophy and its impact on Greek science. She has published papers that consider the philosophical reception of optics, mechanics, medicine, pneumatics, theories of mixture, qualities, causation, and teleology. Her book, "Mechanical Hypothesis in Ancient Greek Natural Philosophy," was published by Cambridge University Press in 2009. In addition to her research, Berryman has teaching interests in applied ethics and the challenge of extreme poverty, integrating service learning experiences into her ethics courses. She directs the Global Citizenship Term Abroad program in Guatemala, organized in cooperation with various departments including FHIS, Sociology, and Political Science, offering study abroad opportunities for students.

Research Interests