Dr. Alice Murphy

Personal information

Alice Murphy was a postdoctoral fellow at the MCMP from January 2021 to August 2025. Prior to joining the department, she received her PhD (2020) from the University of Leeds, her MA (2015) from the University of Warwick, and her BA (2014) from the University of Bristol. She is now a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of St Andrews.

Research interests

Alice's research falls within philosophy of science, especially imagination, creativity, and aesthetic values in science. She has also worked on the epistemology of experiments, simulations, and thought experiments, and issues at the intersection of environmental science and environmental aesthetics.

Selected publications

1. Murphy, A. Imagination and Creativity in the Scientific Realm. Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Imagination and Creativity, edited by Amy Kind and Julia Langkau. Oxford University Press. Forthcoming.
2. Murphy, A. Form and Content: A Defence of Aesthetic Value in Science. Philosophy of Science 90 (3). 2023.
3. Ivanova, M. and A. Murphy (eds.) The Aesthetics of Scientific Experiments. Routledge. 2023.
4. Murphy, A. "Profound Experiments". M. Ivanova and A. Murphy (eds.) The Aesthetics of Scientific Experiments. Routledge. 2023.
5. French, S. and A. Murphy. The Value of Surprise in Science. Erkenntnis 88. 2023.
6. Murphy, A. Imagination in Science. Philosophy Compass 17 (6). 2022.
7. Murphy, A. Toward a Pluralist Account of the Imagination in Science. Philosophy of Science 87 (5). 2020.
8. Murphy, A. “The Aesthetic and Literary Qualities of Scientific Thought Experiments”. M. Ivanova and S. French (eds.) Aesthetics of Science: Beauty, Imagination and Understanding. Routledge. 2020.