Philip R. Olson

Philip R. Olson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Science, Technology and Society within the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech. His interdisciplinary scholarship bridges philosophy, technology studies, and death studies, with a distinctive focus on the ethical dimensions of technologies used to manage human remains and disposal practices.

Dr. Olson's research centers on technology ethics, death studies, bioethics, body studies, women's and gender studies, and social epistemology. Growing up in a four-generations-old family of death care workers provides him with unique insight into mortuary practices that deeply informs his scholarly work. His publications reveal a consistent focus on alternative disposition methods like alkaline hydrolysis (aquamation), home funerals, and the environmental impacts of deathcare technologies. He has made significant contributions to understanding the gendered and racialized dimensions of both deathcare practices and drone technologies, particularly through his influential collaborative work with Christine Labuski on civilian drone systems.

His scholarly output demonstrates how deathcare technologies are not merely technical solutions but are deeply embedded in social, cultural, and political contexts. His most recent book, 'Death's Social Meaning and Materiality Beyond the Human' (2024), expands this analysis to consider mortality in the context of the Anthropocene, while his ongoing book project with MIT Press examines the women-led home funeral movement in the United States.

Dr. Olson's research has received significant media attention, with features in major publications including The Washington Post, The Guardian, Curbed, and Popular Science, particularly regarding his expertise on alternative disposition technologies like aquamation following its use in high-profile cases such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu's funeral.

He has mentored graduate students working on diverse interdisciplinary topics including cultural studies of diamonds, the development of space medicine, technology and religion, healthcare ethics, epistemology, and various aspects of cultural and political theory. His teaching portfolio includes graduate and undergraduate courses on technology ethics, science and technology studies, death studies, and philosophy of religion.