My Expertise and Current Projects
Deleuze has been central to my research for many years, including his work with Félix Guattari and his readings of earlier philosophers. My study of his work has involved extensive engagement with Leibniz, Spinoza, Kant and Nietzsche. I also teach the post-Kantian tradition, including Salomon Maimon, German Idealism, and Henri Bergson.
My teaching at the London School of Continental Philosophy covers the formation of modern French thought, Foucault’s archaeology and genealogy, and philosophies of difference. Other courses examine language and psychoanalysis, contemporary political philosophy, contemporary aesthetics, and the philosophy of technology. Teaching across these subjects has given me a detailed knowledge of continental philosophy, that I draw on in my mentoring.
My current mentoring includes a doctoral researcher working on Maurice Blanchot, a thesis research on phenomenology, and independent scholars developing papers on Kant, Deleuze and Merleau-Ponty. I have also advised on theses in the social sciences and architecture, and edited a forthcoming book on philosophy and architecture.
I welcome enquiries from researchers in philosophy, literature, the social sciences, cultural studies, political theory, art and architecture.
Working on your research
A chapter can offer a convincing interpretation of a philosopher and still leave you uncertain about what it establishes for your own thesis. We can work on that transition: what you are claiming, how your reading supports it, and what a reader would need to understand or accept for the argument to hold.
Our discussions may focus on a particular text or on the direction of the project as a whole. I can help you refine a research question, work through a difficult concept, or reconsider how a chapter fits into the thesis. Sometimes the useful step is to return to a passage you thought you had settled; sometimes it is to recognise that an idea needs more development before it can carry the argument.
I read the agreed drafts before we meet and give detailed feedback on their philosophical content. This includes identifying claims that need further support and connections that are not yet clear. I also send readings beyond your immediate bibliography that may offer another way into the problem.
A continuing conversation
Academic research can be lonely, especially when you have spent months with a question that few people around you know much about. I make room in our meetings for unfinished ideas and for the frustrations that come with the work. You can ask a basic question about a difficult text or talk through an argument you are not yet ready to put on the page.
I listen carefully and give honest criticism. When something is unclear or unconvincing, I explain where I see the difficulty and work through it with you.
As I get to know your research, our conversations build on one another. I remember the questions we have been working on and follow how your thinking develops. This allows us to revisit earlier decisions and see connections that might be missed in a single consultation.
How the mentoring works
Ongoing mentoring includes a monthly talk and detailed monthly written feedback on agreed drafts. Meetings can take place online, so you can work with me wherever you are based.
We begin by discussing your research and the support you need. Before starting, we agree the amount of reading, the schedule for meetings and feedback, and a fixed fee.