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I am an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Moravian University and am a reoccurring Visiting Researcher at the University of EdinburghI work on topics in (i) philosophy of mind and cognitive science, (ii) social and feminist philosophy, (iii) philosophy of AI and technology, and (iv) legal philosophy. My main research project at the moment (see e.g., this paper) investigates how social prejudices shape patterns of nonverbal communication and I am currently putting together a book proposal on the topic. I also regularly teach classes on philosophy of AI, philosophy of psychology, philosophy of science, and epistemology.

 

I received my PhD in Philosophy and Graduate Certificate in Cognitive Science from Rutgers University and my undergraduate degree from the University of Edinburgh. I was also a member of Chaz Firestone's lab in the Johns Hopkins Psychological and Brain Sciences Department, where I conducted the empirical work for my Graduate Certificate. I've previously held postdoctoral positions at the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science (RuCCS) and the University of Oslo.

 

Broadly, my research addresses social bias and discrimination through the interdisciplinary lenses of philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, social theory, and law. My recent work examines the way social prejudices (sexism, racism, etc.) influence basic mental processes, including perception, attention, and nonverbal communication. I've explored the legal implications of this research as well, arguing that philosophically and empirically-grounded accounts of social bias can meaningfully inform policies aimed at reducing discrimination. Much of my philosophical work on law and public policy has focused on discrimination against queer and transgender people.

 

When not philosophizing, I've been known to amble up the occasional mountain. Recently, I've become unreasonably invested in the location, observation, and documentation of various forms of volant (i.e., flying) wildlife: in other words, I've gotten super into birdwatching.​ I'm also very proud to have previously been the Team Captain of the Department of Philosophy's Magic the Gathering Team at the University of Oslo.​​

AUSTIN A. BAKER

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