Core Members
Ed is mainly interested in epistemology and the philosophy of mind. His research is focused on giving a philosophical account of worry, specifically in terms of the extent to which it can be rational or irrational, and the implications this may have for our understanding of mental action and agency.
Chris’s research includes work on criminal justice, punishment and alternatives to punishment; as well as topics in moral psychology, such as moral emotions, blame and forgiveness.
Megan’s research concerns global justice and the environment, focusing on the ethical and political dimensions of climate change.
Ryan’s current research includes work on the character trait of others-centredness, the virtues of the intellectually dependable person, and the collective character traits of religious congregations
Jim’s research includes work on metaethics, moral psychology, and philosophical issues arising from doing philosophy in prison. On behalf of the University of Sheffield and the charity Philosophy in Prison, Jim has led 31 philosophy sessions in two Category B prisons. He is interested in ways in which we might learn from the philosophical insights of marginalised people, including those in prison.
Co-Director
Josh’s research focuses on the value of democratic deliberative norms and practices. His most recent research pays special attention to the democratic value of higher education.
Jane works in philosophy of education. She is interested in the aims of education, the curriculum and the place of philosophy in schools. She is also interested in the nature and value of philosophy. Her thesis presents an argument for teaching philosophy in schools.
Isela works on Feminism, Philosophy of Science, and Philosophy of Biology. Their PhD focuses on the role of values in science, with a particular focus on biological accounts of sexual orientation.
Richard’s research is on the effects that psychiatric diagnoses have on their recipients. Specifically, this concerns the manner in which such medicalised diagnoses impact on an individual’s self-narrative and how this may lead to experiences of epistemic injustice
Max works on ethics, metaethics and moral psychology. At the moment he is particularly interested in co-operation, trust, and empathy, and the way that these shape the political domain.
Angie is Professor for the Public Understanding of Philosophy. She focusses on ethics, political theory and ancient philosophy, and appears regularly in press, TV and radio, discussing issues like democracy, refugees or philosophy in schools. She is currently working with the NHS on how to reduce inequalities in access to elective health care. With Professor William Watkin of Brunel University, she is setting up a Culture and Policy website, aimed at introducing more Humanities research into policy thinking and formation. She has also recently been appointed to the Advisory Board of the new Plato’s Academy Centre, which directs the resources of ancient Greek philosophy to contemporary issues.
Co-Director
Jules’ research focuses on ways that our cognitions are influenced by, and complicit in, injustices that track social identity, such as gender and race. Her recent work has focused on implicit racial bias.
Tareeq’s main research interests are in the philosophy of rap, social philosophy and applied philosophy. His thesis explores the fairness of popular and pervasive critiques of rap music.
Eric has written on the possibility of life after death, what makes it bad to die, and the metaphysics of transhumanism and artificial intelligence.
Barney works on the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. He is concerned with developing an account of Kierkegaard’s concept of busyness, as both a personal-religious and a socio-political critique.
Henry is interested in epistemic vice and, in particular, arrogance. His thesis will explore how arrogance manifests in groups and the varieties of harm this supports.
Komarine works in phenomenology. She has two current research projects: one is on the nature of habit, which she is exploring in clinical settings; the other is concerned with issues of power and communication between different cultures.
Jenny’s current research is mainly in two areas: ways to improve workplaces (especially academia) to make them more welcoming for members of marginalised groups; and the pragmatics of sexism and racism in political speech.
Minna’s work is interdisciplinary and informed by social sciences, as she examines identity and prejudice, particularly in the areas of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and religion. She is especially interested in ethnography, lived religions and analysis of real life questions that matter to feminists, LGBTQ communities and ethnic minorities.
Carien works on the social epistemology and ethics of climate change. Her current focus is especially on the intersection between the ethics and epistemology of climate change conspiracy theories. Her other research interests include meaning in life and the apocalypse.
Bob is working on the Danish philosopher and theologian K. E. Løgstrup, who focuses on issues surrounding care, inter-dependence and vulnerability, and what it might mean to ‘love the neighbour’.
Rosa’s main research interests are in feminism and philosophy of sex. Their thesis argues that objectificaiton is not necessarily harmful, and that pornography is not uniquely or distinctly harmful insofar as it objectifies. Rosa is currently interested in the way our work impacts the world and the pernicious side-effects feminist research can have.
Elliott studies the ethics and global justice of climate geo-engineering. He is particularly interested in human/nature dichotomy and the role it plays in thinking about our responsibilities in a time of catastrophic climate change
Affiliated Members
Lijiaozi looks at concepts and experiences of health, disease and “sub-health”, the grey area between disease and health. She combines conceptual analysis with ethnographic research, in exploring how subhealth is being made sense of.
Matthew is currently an Interdisciplinary Research Fellow at the Centre for Biomedicine, Self, and Society, University of Edinburgh. They are working on a couple of projects: one on the contemporary crisis in trans healthcare and politics in the UK, and another is a book on the metaphysics of gender under contract with Bloomsbury, and currently titled What Gender Should Be.
Anna is interested in political and feminist philosophy of language. Their research mainly focuses on conversational silence and trans issues surrounding speech. They are also interested in social and political epistemology and philosophy of language more generally. They are currently a lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Cardiff.
Will is currently a Research Associate at Bristol on the project ‘MetaScience’, which asks ‘what (if anything) unifies the sciences?’ https://metascience.xyz/project-team.
Most of my research is at the intersection of metaphysics and the philosophy of biology, looking at questions such as ‘What is an organism?’, ‘What is a human person?’ and ‘What is death?’.
Maria is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Philosophical Research at UNAM. Maria’s current research focuses on issues related to procreative ethics, in particular examining the normative meaning of procreation in the context of reproductive technologies and surrogacy.
Sabina’s research is about anomalous experiences (voices/ visions, often described as hallucinations) and how the way that they are framed may affect the very experiences themselves. Their research weaves together work in phenomenology with critical psychiatry and the contemporary mad movement.
Affiliate centre member Dr Jingbo Hu is a postdoctoral researcher at Fudan University, China. He has recently published work on reasons-responsive conceptions of responsibility in the Journal of the American Philosophical Association.
Centre for Engaged Philosophy 