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Lindsay Brainard

Assistant Professor This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
University Hall 5014
(205) 934-4805

Pronouns: she/her

Research and Teaching Interests: Philosophy of science, philosophy of artificial intelligence, aesthetics, epistemology, metaphysics, and logic

Office Hours: By appointment only

Education:

  • BA, College of Wooster, Philosophy
  • MPhil, Cambridge University, Philosophy
  • MA, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Philosophy
  • PhD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Philosophy

I'm a first-generation college graduate from the small town of Gustavus, Ohio. I grew up loving to read and ask hard questions, but I wasn't introduced to philosophy until my first day of college. My professor assigned Plato's Euthyphro, and I was hooked. I loved philosophy then for the same reason that I love it now: philosophy invites us to think carefully and make clear arguments for the things we believe.

Upon graduating from the College of Wooster, I received a scholarship to study at St. John's College, Cambridge. After Cambridge, I moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina where I completed my M.A. in 2013 and Ph.D in 2017. In my first year at UNC, I enrolled in a seminar on scientific explanation, a topic that fascinated me so deeply that I haven't stopped thinking about it since. My primary research interests are in the philosophy of science, particularly regarding explanation, discovery, and creativity. Some of my recent work explores how computer simulations function to advance the aims of science. These interests show up in the classes I teach, especially when I teach the philosophy of science, epistemology, and logic.

In my free time, I love to play board games, run, cheer for my North Carolina Tar Heels, and train my dog, Frisbee.

You can read more about my research and teaching on my personal website.

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Scholars @ UAB Profile

  • Select Publications
    • “How to Explain How-Possibly,” Philosophers’ Imprint 20:13. (May 2020). pp. 1-23
    • “The Curious Case of Uncurious Creation.” Inquiry. (September 2023).
    • “What is Creativity?” The Philosophical Quarterly. (July 2024).
  • Academic Distinctions and Professional Societies
    • Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2015, UNC-Chapel Hill)
    • National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipend (2024)
    • Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Sigma Tau, American Philosophical Association, American Society for Aesthetics

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