Kathryn Nave

Kathryn Nave is a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh's School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences. Her research critiques the 'machine concept' of organisms and develops a realist account of autonomy through metabolic processes. She holds a PhD in Philosophy (2022) and MSc in Mind, Language, and Embodied Cognition (2016) from the University of Edinburgh, alongside a BA in Philosophy from King's College London (2013).

Her work bridges philosophy of mind, cognitive science, and biology, focusing on predictive processing's limitations in explaining life. Key contributions include critiques of the Free Energy Principle and explorations of embodied cognition.

Recent publications analyze survival mechanisms in living systems and the role of prediction in conscious experience. Awards include the Leverhulme Fellowship, Analysis Trust grant, and ERC PhD studentship. She collaborates with the Association for Mathematical Consciousness Science and explores interdisciplinary intersections between philosophy and life sciences.