Her research interests include History of Philosophy, especially Ancient Philosophy and Early Modern Philosophy; Metaphysics, Epistemology, Philosophy of Mind, Ethics, Bioethics and Aesthetics. Dr. Semler has a B.F.A. in Fine Arts from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, CA, an M.A. in Philosophy from University of Nevada, Reno, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from University of California, Santa Barbara.She lives in Alexandria, VA with her husband, Jim Baker, and their yellow lab, Philodemus.