Bruna Mello, a doctoral student in philosophy from Brazil, has joined Wagner College as a visiting scholar through a one-year exchange program funded by a São Paulo Research Foundation (Fapesp) scholarship.
At Wagner, she will continue developing her dissertation on the French philosopher and writer Simone de Beauvoir under the supervision of Professor Patricia Moynagh in the Government and Politics Department.
Mello is pursuing her Ph.D. at Universidade Estadual de Campinas in São Paulo, where she also earned her bachelor's and master’s degrees in philosophy. Her research focuses on Beauvoir’s political and philosophical thought. She has received multiple research scholarships, including a Brazilian government scholarship (2018-2020) for projects on existentialism and freedom in Beauvoir’s work, and a Fapesp scholarship (2021-2023) for her master’s dissertation, “The Presence of Historical Dialectical Materialism in The Second Sex.”
Beyond her studies, Mello has co-organized academic events in Brazil on gender and race in philosophy, including “Vozes: Mulheres na Filosofia (Voices: Women in Philosophy)” and “Vozes Negras na Filosofia (Black Voices in Philosophy).” She also helped organize the first “Encontro Internacional Simone de Beauvoir (Simone de Beauvoir’s International Meeting)” in 2023. Since 2023, she has served as a communications advisor for “Enciclopédia Mulheres na Filosofia (Encyclopedia of Women in Philosophy),” a scientific blog highlighting women philosophers and feminist thought.
During her time at Wagner, Mello’s research will foster meaningful engagement among students and faculty, bringing global perspectives to campus and deepening Wagner’s ties to international scholarship.
