Matthew Sims

My research focuses questions at the intersection of philosophy of biology and philosophy of cognitive science. These questions range but are not limited to questions regarding biological agency, learning and memory in both non-neuronal and neuronal systems, major evolutionary transitions, extended and embodied cognition, biocentric ethics, ALife, and how general biological mechanisms that have been maintained over billions of years of evolution can inform AI design, human-AI interaction and ways to approach alignment. One organism that I have focused on extensively to investigate some of these questions is the an acellular slime mould, P. polycephalum; With respect to animals, I've looked at monitor lizards and their close relatives.