Lindsay Brainard

Lindsay Brainard is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), part of the College of Arts and Sciences. She holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2017), an MA from the same institution (2013), an MPhil from the University of Cambridge (2011), and a BA from the College of Wooster (2010). Her research focuses on philosophy of science, philosophy of artificial intelligence, epistemology, metaphysics, and logic, with a particular emphasis on explanation, discovery, and creativity in scientific contexts.

Her teaching portfolio includes courses such as Introduction to Ethics, Symbolic Logic, and Science, Knowledge, and Reality. She has taught these courses across multiple terms since joining UAB in August 2020. Her recent work examines the role of computer simulations in science and challenges the attribution of creativity to contemporary AI models, arguing that such systems lack the curiosity and agency required for true creativity.

Lindsay is actively involved in academic outreach and maintains an Orcid profile. Her office is located in University Hall 5014, and she is available by appointment. Beyond academia, she enjoys board games, running, and supporting the North Carolina Tar Heels.