Nichole Suomi Smith

Email: nichiyes@gmail.com
GitHub: github.com/ruleroftheuniverse-1
Location: Flexible

Professional Summary

Interdisciplinary researcher, systems thinker, and conceptual strategist with deep training in philosophy, mathematics, and psychology. My work focuses on modeling personhood across biological, psychological, and artificial systems, integrating ethical design and epistemic clarity into projects spanning cognitive science, AI, and strategic planning. Former Graduate Student Association President at UC Riverside, with experience leading high-stakes, cross-disciplinary initiatives. I specialize in synthesizing fragmented knowledge systems, designing novel frameworks for identity and cognition, and guiding high-level decision-making under uncertainty. Currently pursuing research opportunities that align theory, practice, and care across complex domains.

Research Interests

• Personal identity, dissociation, and systems theory
• Personality theory and molecular foundations of mind
• Artificial intelligence, personhood, and ethical design
• Transdisciplinary modeling and knowledge representation
• Philosophical counseling and moral psychology
• Diversity of mind

Current Projects

• Glossary and Geometric Model of Personhood: A structured philosophical work redefining personal identity, integrating ideas from AI, psychology, and moral philosophy. Currently in term-mapping and conceptual modeling phase, working toward a mathematical model.
• Life Rebuilding Strategic Plan: Coordinating long-term and short-term personal, intellectual, and career goals across overlapping domains of health, ethics, knowledge, and contribution.
• Philosophical Counseling Practice: Offering strategic, high-level value alignment support for intelligent and ambitious clients. Differentiated from psychotherapy and grounded in consequentialist care ethics.
• GitHub Projects: Exploratory tools and writing on cognitive feedback modeling, identity theory, and philosophical AI alignment, including interactive simulations and conceptual visualizations.
• Substack Writing Series: Public essays and experimental nonfiction addressing mind, meaning, ethics, and high-intensity selfhood.

Education

• PhD Coursework Completed, Philosophy, University of California, Riverside (2017–2021)
  Completed all required coursework and passed qualifying exams. Departed program prior to dissertation defense.
• Master of Arts in Philosophy, University of California, Riverside (2017–2019)
  Committee: Eric Schwitzgebel (chair), Pierre Keller, Erich Reck
  GPA: 3.88
• Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Philosophy (double major), Valparaiso University (2013–2017)
  Christ College Honors College Associate
  GPA: 3.85

Leadership and Service

Graduate Student Association President, UC Riverside (2020–2022)

• Elected by and represented 4,000+ graduate students during COVID and labor actions
• Collaborated with university administration on budget, policy, and equity initiatives
• Led cross-departmental organizing and advocacy efforts on health, housing, and union issues
• Coordinated emergency student support during the pandemic, including preserving healthcare access for student families and helping international students navigate immigration threats
• Advocated for medical students to maintain clinical placements through campus policy exceptions
• Developed and passed a policy proposal to restructure administrative oversight, making campus police report to the Vice Chancellor of Health & Safety (a Black woman psychiatrist)
• Played a key role in preventing the dissolution of Division I athletics through a novel proposal during a university-wide austerity review
• Authored a widely circulated graduate student manifesto that articulated equity and transparency demands across departments
• Used my identity and position to strategically elevate underrepresented voices already articulating needed changes but being ignored

Work and Volunteering

• Philosophical Counselor (Freelance), 2024–present
  Website: nicholesmithcounselling.github.io (in progress)
  - Designed and offered one-on-one intellectual support for clients with complex cognitive/emotional needs
  - Developed proprietary tools for value alignment, ethical self-clarification, and strategic life design
• Mutual Aid and Family Care Work, 2022–present
  - Provided direct care and organizational support for family, friends, and community members with chronic illness and complex needs
  - Coordinated health records, benefits navigation, and emotional support systems

Teaching Experience

• University of California, Riverside — Teaching Assistant (2018–2021)
  Courses: Biomedical Ethics, Evil, Introduction to Logic, Mind and World, Formal Logic, History of Philosophy, Introduction to Philosophy, Wittgenstein
  - Led weekly discussion sections (in-person and via Zoom), held office hours, and graded student work using platforms such as Blackboard, Canvas, and Carnap
  - Designed and implemented pedagogical strategies for engaging large undergraduate courses in abstract and sensitive topics
  - Received consistent positive feedback from students, emphasizing clarity, engagement, and respectful learning environments
• Valparaiso University — Teaching Assistant (2014–2017)
  Departments: Philosophy and Mathematics
  Courses: Elementary Logic and Critical Thinking, Calculus I–III, Linear Algebra, Discrete Mathematics, Transitions in Mathematics, Finite Mathematics
  - Led weekly help sessions and graded student assignments
  - Supported professors in creating accessible materials for students in challenging math and logic courses

Skills

• Systems thinking
• Problem solving
• Philosophy of mind
• Qualitative research
• Ethical analysis
• Community organizing
• AI and identity theory
• LaTeX, Markdown, Git, HTML/CSS/JS/PHP, Maple, Perl, BASIC
• Python (basic), TensorFlow (beginner), 8086 assembler (intermediate)
• Computer network design and implementation
• Curriculum design & Pedagogy
• Public speaking

Publications and Public Scholarship

• Undergraduate Honors Thesis (2016): Collective Responsibility and Moral Psychology: A Structural Approach, Valparaiso University, Department of Philosophy
• Op-eds and Blog Essays (Ongoing): Public-facing writing on dissociation, personhood, ethics, and high-functioning mental variance. Selected essays are being revised into academic-style white papers.
• GitHub-based Writing Projects (2024–present): Exploratory work on identity theory, philosophical AI alignment, and dissociative systems modeling.
• Glossary of Personhood (2025–in progress): A structured, geometry-inspired conceptual framework integrating ideas from psychology, AI, and philosophy of mind.
• Philosophical Counseling Framework (2024–present): Development of a counseling model for intellectually intense clients, grounded in consequentialist care ethics.

Future Goals

• Apply to interdisciplinary PhD programs and research roles in computational media, philosophy, or psych/AI hybrids
• Build long-term public intellectual and ethical infrastructure through research, software, and writing
• Contribute to scientific or institutional efforts with meaningful, high-impact applications