Hello! I am a University Lecturer in Theoretical Philosophy at Leiden University. My main research areas are philosophy of physics and philosophy of science. I am also interested in the metaphysics of quantities, and in Early Modern history and philosophy of science.
My current research project concerns the use of dimensions, constants and units in physics. I want to know to what extent different systems for dimensions and units are conventional, and what role the constants of nature play in such systems.
I have completed the DPhil in Philosophy at the University of Oxford. The topic of my dissertation was the interpretation of symmetry-related models. A copy of the dissertation is available on request. I also spent a year as a post-doc at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science of the University of Pittsburgh, where I worked on the nature of the gravitational constant.
Kinematic Equivalence and Cosmic Conspiracies (with Eleanor March), British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (2025). In which we argue that kinematically inequivalent theories have different explanatory structures (one of which is better).
How (Not) to Define Inertial Frames, Australasian Journal of Philosophy (2025). In which I argue that common definitions of inertial frames are faulty, and offer a new one based on symmetries.
Absolute Representations and Modern Physics (with James Read), European Journal for the Philosophy of Science (2025). In which we propose an absolute representation of gravitational energy.
In Defence of Dimensions, British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (2024). In which I argue that the dimensions of quantities track a real feature of the world.
Are Models Our Tools Not Our Masters?, Synthese (2023). A refutation of the claim that constraints on the representational capacities of theoretical models are mostly irrelevant to metaphysics.
The Metaphysics of Fibre Bundles, Studies in History and Philosophy of Science (2023). In which I offer a 'sophisticated' interpretation of the fibre bundle formalism by appeal to anti-quidditism.
Are Dynamic Shifts Dynamical Symmetries?, Philosophy of Science (2023). In which I distinguish between an `active' and a `passive' version of the dynamic shift, only one of which is a dynamical symmetry.
Invariance, Intrinsicality, and Perspicuity, Synthese (2022). In which I argue that perspicuous interpretations of a theory's invariant content should be intrinsic in the sense of Field (1980).
Invariance or Equivalence: a Tale of Two Principles, Synthese (2021). In which I argue that Leibniz Equivalence and the Invariance Principle can come apart when we reject the link between mathematical values and physical magnitudes.
