Public engagement and outreach
I strongly believe in the importance of increasing public awareness and understanding of philosophy, and am available to comment on a wide range of issues including:
Perception and the senses
Philosophy of science and the mind, esp. psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science, and the nature and experience of time
The relevance of philosophy and philosophical debate to wider society.
I am active on Mastodon and Twitter, where my personal account was ranked in the top 100 for philosophy. (To the best of my knowledge, I am the only philosopher to appear twice in the rankings!)
I have been involved in the following public engagement and knowledge exchange activities.
Projects
Beyond the Five Senses: Increasing Awareness of Sensory Experience in the Under-5s, September 2018, Evergreen Outdoor Nursery, Glasgow
Co-creator and technical design for The Illusions Index website, Centre for the Study of Perceptual Experience, University of Glasgow, 2017
Advisor on multisensory experience design project, Glasgow School of Art, February 2016
Contributed ‘Impossible Lego object’ to the Objects of Research exhibition, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, 28 September 2015
Articles and blog posts
Article on ‘Multisensory Perception’, Sabah Ülkesi magazine, Issue 66, January 2021. (Turkish language; original here)
Guest blog post, ‘Engaging the Senses’, Arts and Humanities Research Council, Science in Culture Theme, 22 June 2015
Guest blog post, ‘Taste and Smell: The Hidden Senses’, Being Human: A Festival of the Humanities, November 2014
Article on ‘Perception and Reality’, New Philosopher magazine, September 2013
Contributor, After Liff, Faber & Faber, 2013
Public talks
Introduction to outdoor public screening of The Matrix, Glasgow Science Festival, University of Glasgow, 4 June 2015
Interview about philosophy and science-fiction, Glasgow Science Festival, University of Glasgow, 4 June 2015
Public talk at Late Night Science: Illusion and Perception on ‘How to Resist the Argument from Illusion’, The Research Club, Glasgow, 19 March 2015
Other public events
Contributor and consultant to the Centre for Philosophy and the Sciences (CPS), Forskningstorget i Oslo, University of Oslo, September 2019
Research station at Glasgow Explorathon 2016, European Researchers’ Night, Glasgow Science Centre
Interactive exhibits for ‘Understanding the Senses: Past and Present’ workshop, Special Collections, University of Glasgow, 6 July 2016
Research station and public talks on ‘The Philosophy and Psychology of Illusions’, Glasgow Science Festival, University of Glasgow, 11 June 2016
Research station at Glasgow Explorathon 2015, European Researchers’ Night, Glasgow Science Centre, 25 September 2015
Research station and public talks on ‘Engaging the Senses’, Glasgow Science Festival, University of Glasgow, 6 June 2015
Co-organiser, ‘The Hidden Senses: The Secrets of Taste and Smell’, The Dana Centre, London, 21 November 2014
Research station at Glasgow Explorathon 2014, European Researchers’ Night, Glasgow Science Centre, 26 September 2014
