Welcome to my academic website! I am Maria Gallego-Ortiz, a Ph.D. student in Philosophy at Boston College. My research investigates the significant role of imagination in moral life, focusing on how individuals perceive, respond to, and ethically shape their world through deliberate acts of attention, narrative construction, and embodied experience. I find particular value in the works of Iris Murdoch and Paul Ricœur, whose writings provide essential insights into developing a moral vision that extends beyond standard rule-following and rational deliberation.My wider academic interests include feminist philosophy, phenomenology, and the philosophy of religion.

My recent publications reflect these diverse yet interconnected areas of inquiry. My recent work includes an exploration of "Iris Murdoch’s Concept of Imagination and Its Role in Moral Life," published in *Philosophies*, and an investigation into "The experience of pregnancy as an embodied metaphor of hospitality," published in *Continental Philosophy Review*. Additionally, my 2024 research features an intersectional feminist disability perspective on Gerty MacDowell's identity and agency published in *Humanities*, as well as a co-authored critical reflection in the *International Social Science Journal* comparing Aristotelian, Platonic, and Machiavellian interpretations of *phronesis* in leadership education. I invite you to explore my website to learn more about my teaching, research, and publications, and please feel free to reach out if you would like to connect.