Originally from Snohomish, WA, north of Seattle, and currently splitting his time between Vancouver, BC and Portland, OR, Kinley Gillette is a PhD candidate in Philosophy and Science and Technology Studies (STS) at the University of British Columbia (UBC).

Kinley works at the intersection of the social epistemology of science and political theory. His research interests include:

• Expert authority
• Democratic theory
• Politicization and democratization of science (esp. in environmental controversies)
• Integration of the social and environmental sciences
• Science studies methodology

Kinley’s dissertation is focused on answering the following question: How can non-experts feasibly hold expert authorities accountable without undermining the social-epistemic benefits of expert authorization? Given that accountability is essential to the democratization of expert authority, answering this question is critical for reconciling democratic inclusion with epistemic criteria for political legitimacy. More concretely, answering this question is important for achieving governance that is, at once, scientifically informed and, owing to its democratic legitimacy, less likely to provoke public backlash.

Kinley’s non-academic interests include amari, oysters, and all things Cascadian.