Nicole Fice, PhD
Research In Profile
As a philosopher, Professor Fice’s work centers on how we should think about and address ethical, social, and political issues that concern us. Her work in applied ethics, including public health ethics, develops arguments about what we should do to address issues we care about and why a given approach may or may not be morally justifiable. In her theoretical work, Professor Fice uses the nuances seen in real-world issues to revise how we define concepts, including notions of privilege, autonomy, and more. Her research emphasizes the practical importance of clearly defining conceptual terms, since our understanding of concepts impacts what we think we ought to do when responding to real-world issues. The feminist orientation of her research prioritizes understanding and addressing systems of oppression in theory and practice.
Recently, Professor Fice’s research has focused on ethical issues in the context of homelessness and policy responses to it. Her work clarifies the importance of autonomy while avoiding harmful myths about choice using feminist relational conceptions of autonomy. Professor Fice also studies the ethics of encampment evictions, focusing on the autonomy and dignity of encampment residents.
Featured Publications and Projects
Chapters and Reports
- Fice, N. (2025). Doing and Teaching Public Health Ethics as Public Philosophy. In A.A. Preti and T.A. Weidel (Eds.) A Companion to Doing Ethics. (pp. 311-324). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
- McLeod, C., Davies, L., Fice, N., Bruijns, L., Cichocki, E., Doguoglu, H., Stewart, H., Horn, A., Rekis, J., Filipovich, T. (2019). Time to Attach: An Argument in Favour of EI Attachment Benefits. Produced for Ontario’s Adoptive Parents Association and the Adoption Council of Canada. https://uwo.scholaris.ca/items/7e4da753-5baa-4348-a2fc-5536fbaf5137
Articles in Peer-Reviewed Journals
- Fice, N. (Forthcoming). Responding to Autonomy-Based Accounts of Homelessness. Social Philosophy Today.
Visit Google Scholar for a comprehensive list of publications.
Additional Information
Awards
- Fice, N. (2024-2025). Autonomy-based Arguments Against the Criminalization of Homelessness. Internal SSHRC Explore Grant, Trent University. $2,400.99.
- Donchin and Holmes Emerging Scholar Prize. (2020). Awarded by the Feminist Approaches to Bioethics Network.
