William P. Seeley

William P. Seeley is a Part-time Associate Professor in the Philosophy Department at the University of Southern Maine (USM), affiliated with the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. His research bridges cognitive science and philosophy of art, with a focus on neuroaesthetics and interdisciplinary applications of computer science. He holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from CUNY-The Graduate Center, an M.F.A. in Sculpture from Columbia University, and a B.A. in Philosophy from Columbia University.

• Education:
  • PhD, Philosophy, CUNY-The Graduate Center
  • MFA, Sculpture, Columbia University
  • BA, Philosophy, Columbia University

His research has been published in journals such as Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, British Journal of Aesthetics, and Frontiers in Consciousness Research. He authored the book Attentional Engines: A Perceptual Theory of the Arts (Oxford University Press), exploring neuroaesthetic insights. In 2016, he received an NEH grant to investigate computational methods in understanding art.

As a practicing artist, Seeley’s welded steel sculptures and collaborative drawings have been exhibited in New York City and academic galleries. His interdisciplinary work integrates philosophical inquiry with artistic practice and technological innovation.

• Grants: NEH Digital Humanities Startup Grant (2016)
• Labs/Teams: None explicitly mentioned, but his art practice and neuroaesthetics research suggest collaborative projects in interdisciplinary domains.