William Watkin

Professor William Watkin is a distinguished academic at Brunel University, where he has served since 1999 and held a personal Chair since 2008. He is currently the Director of Research for the Arts and Humanities Department and has previously served as Head of the English and Creative Writing Division and Deputy Head of the School. His work bridges philosophy, literature, and contemporary cultural critique.

• Research Interests: Continental philosophy (Agamben, Badiou, Derrida, Deleuze, Foucault, Kristeva), biopolitics, postmodern poetry, digital culture, and the philosophy of indifference.
• Publications: His recent works include Bioviolence (2021), applying indifference to biopolitical theory, and Badiou and Communicable Worlds (2021), exploring Badiou’s logic. Earlier articles analyze Agamben’s modal ontology and Badiou’s mathematical philosophy, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach.
• Leadership: Instrumental in Brunel’s successful RAE2008 and REF2014/2021 submissions, including the vision Transforming the Literary Landscape for REF2021, which achieved one of the university’s highest GPAs.
• Other Contributions: A published journalist and blogger, he writes for outlets like The Conversation and The New Philosopher, with recent focus on fake news, social media, and AI. He is also an abstract painter, often designing his book covers.