New Faculty: Nilanjan Das

2026 New Faculty

By | Staff , A&S Communications

8/26/2026

Nilanjan Das

Assistant Professor, Sage School of Philosophy

Academic focus:

Epistemology, Sanskrit philosophy

Current research project:

Learning-first epistemology, caste in Sanskrit philosophy

Previous positions:

Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto Mississauga and Graduate Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto, Canada, 2023-2026
Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, University College London, U.K., 2018-2022
Assistant Professor Faculty Fellow, Humanities Section, New York University Shanghai, China, 2016-2018

Academic background:

Ph.D., Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2016
M.A., Philosophy, Jadavpur University, India, 2011
B.A., Philosophy, Jadavpur University, India, 2009

Last book read:

“Essays on Individualism” by Louis Dumont

In your own time/when not working:

Hiking, listening to music

Courses you’re most looking forward to teaching:

Topics in the History of Sanskrit Philosophy (focusing on the problem of universals) and The Self in South Asia

What most excites you about Cornell:

Cornell is one of the few universities in the United States where graduate students can be trained in Sanskrit philosophy – both in the philological skills needed to read Sanskrit texts and in the philosophical skills needed to interpret them for a contemporary audience of philosophers. The Sage School’s commitment to the history of philosophy as an important subfield in philosophy ensures that students have colleagues and mentors who will take work in Sanskrit philosophy seriously on its own terms. At the same time, the presence of Sanskritists in Asian Studies means that they need never choose between philological rigor and philosophical ambition. It is the prospect of teaching and writing in this environment that most excites me about Cornell.

X handle/blog url (optional):

https://www.dasnilanjan.com/