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 Bluesky, where I maintain a variety of philosophy feeds, Mastodon and X (formerly Twitter) where my personal account was previously ranked among the top 25 for philosophy (truesciphi.org).

I have been involved in the following public engagement and knowledge exchange activities, and am open to further collaboration and public outreach projects.

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