Fiona Macpherson

Professor Fiona Macpherson is a leading philosopher of mind and perception at the University of Glasgow. She holds the rank of Professor of Philosophy and directs the Centre for the Study of Perceptual Experience. Her primary affiliations include the University of Glasgow's School of Humanities and Department of Philosophy, alongside roles such as former Head of Department (2014–2017) and current President of the British Philosophical Association.

Education:

• PhD in Philosophy, University of Stirling (2000)
• MLitt in Philosophy with Distinction (University of St. Andrews, 1995)
• MA in Philosophy 1st Class Honours (University of Glasgow, 1993)
• Visiting Fellow, Harvard University (1998–1999)

Research Interests: Fiona's work spans the philosophy of perception, consciousness, and cognitive science. Key areas include: cognitive penetration, mental imagery (aphantasia/hyperphantasia), sensory substitution/augmentation, hallucination theory, and the nature of sensory modalities. She actively bridges philosophy with psychology and neuroscience through collaborative projects like the Perception Census and Dreamachine immersive technology.

Grants & Awards:

• £750,000 AHRC grant (2024–2027) for the SENSOR project
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (2017)
• Elected member of Academia Europaea (2018)
• Innovate UK grant (£911,713, 2018–2021) for VR education tools

Public Engagement: She co-founded the Illusions Index, curated the Extreme Imagination art exhibition, and advises on public projects like the Dreamachine VR experience. Her work appears in venues such as the BBC, New Scientist, and international conferences.

Labs & Teams: Leads the Centre for the Study of Perceptual Experience, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams on projects like the Perception Census (with Anil Seth) and policy recommendations for augmented reality technologies.