New Faculty Join the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies

Three new tenure-track faculty joined the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies in Fall 2024.

Marcelitte Failla, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, earned her Ph.D. in Religion from Emory University in 2024. Her interests lie at the intersections of Africana Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Black Religion. Her current book project investigates how contemporary Black witches employ African diasporic religions for manifestation, healing, and protection from anti-Blackness. As a practitioner of Ifá/Òrìṣà traditions and Hoodoo, she often holds ceremonial space in academic and community settings. She has articles in the Black Scholar and Liturgy and is the recipient of a Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Completion Fellowship.

Seth Gaiters, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and of Africana Studies, earned his Ph.D. in Comparative Studies at the Ohio State University, with a concentration in Religious Studies. He joins NC State from UNC Wilmington, where he was Assistant Professor of Philosophy & Religion and Africana Studies. He is a scholar of African American religious studies, with a particular interest in the exploration of religion and race through Black progressive social movements and cultures in America. He is currently completing a book manuscript, tentatively titled #BlackLivesMatter and Religion in the Street: A Revival of the Sacred in the Public Sphere.

Irina Mikhalevich, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, earned her Ph.D. in philosophy from Boston University. She joins NC State from Rochester Institute of Technology, where she was Assistant Professor of Philosophy. She works at the intersection of the philosophy of science, cognitive science, biology, and ethics. Her research centers primarily around conceptual and methodological problems in comparative (animal) cognition science and their implications for the mindedness and moral status of beings with cognitive architectures that differ dramatically from our own.

The department is thrilled to welcome these promising scholars and teachers to our community.