Joel MacClellan

Dr. Joel MacClellan is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Environment Program at Loyola University New Orleans. He previously held the positions of Clinical Assistant Professorship in Philosophy at Washington State University and Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Binghamton University, SUNY. 

Dr. MacClellan puts ethics into practice as the non-scientist member of Loyola’s Animal Care and Use Committee, the ethicist on the Institutional Review Board, and as Loyola’s representative on the Jefferson Parish Ethics and Compliance Commission.

His research expertise is in ethics, especially animal ethics and environmental ethics, with secondary interests in the Philosophy of Science, Medical Ethics, and Research Ethics. His work has been published in prominent journals in his field, such as The Journal of Value Inquiry, Ethics & Environment, Between the Species, and the Journal of Animal Ethics, and he has presented his research in the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands to organizations such as the American Philosophical Association, International Society for Environmental Ethics, Minding Animals International, and the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics. You can listen to a recent interview with the Sentientism Podcast here and see one of his recent presentations on animal research ethics here.

Dr. MacClellan completed his Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Tennessee, specializing in ethics while he also participated in a Clinical Ethics Practicum at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. His B.A. is also in philosophy from the University of Akron, with minors in Environmental Studies and Bioethics. Between his undergraduate and graduate degrees, he served for two years as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer in Panama working in environmental conservation, agricultural extension, and sustainable development. 

Classes Taught

• Environmental Ethics
• Medical Ethics
• Philosophy of Science

Areas of Expertise

• Ethics
• Environmental Ethics
• Medical Ethics
• Philosophy of Biology
• Social and Political Philosophy