Watkin
william watkin is professor of contemporary philosophy and literature. he has been at brunel university since 1999, and has held a personal chair there since 2008. he is currently director of research for the arts and humanities department, a position he has held more than once. during his time at brunel he has also served as head of english and of the english and creative writing division and deputy head of the school. professor watkin has extensive experience with research assessment. he wrote english’s successful rae2008 bid, our first submission as a unit to the rae. he then supervised the early stages of our successful ref 2014 bid, overseeing the school’s internal mock-ref. he took over the final stages of the ref2021 submission, creating a vision for the division "transforming the literary landscape." this submission was highly commended by the university and resulted in one of the highest gpas at brunel. prof. watkin’s research profile is extremely well-established, highly-regarded, influential and wide-ranging. his main area of interest for the last decade has been the philosophy of indifference. although a well-established philosopher, watkin began his career working on contemporary poetics and literary theory and wrote three books in this area. the third of these "the literary agamben", was highly regarded by agamben himself and paved the way for the second phase of watkin's career as he transitioned from a literary theorist to a continental philosopher. watkin is the world's leading expert on the philosophy of giorgio agamben. of his fourth book "agamben and indifference" agamben himself wrote: "watkin has produced a work of astonishing originality, which any attempt to read twentieth-century philosophy will be obliged to confront”. of the same book leading philosoher françois laruelle wrote: “watkin’s sharp lens is indispensable for those who want to grasp a central aspect of contemporary philosophy." watkin is also one of the leading voices on the philosophy of alain badiou having written two books on key concepts in badiou's overall project: "badiou and indifferent being" and "badiou and communicable worlds". watkin's seventh book, "bioviolence: how the powers that be make us do what they want" applies his philosophy of indifference to biopolitical theory, another area where he has extensive expertise. "bioviolence" is also the first attempt by watkin to apply indifferential thought to contemporary, real-world examples. this project is continued in his next book "herd immunities: the philosophy of covid" which analyses the global pandemic using the indifferential reasoning he has developed in the earlier work. watkin is a published journalist with articles in the independent, the week, newsweek europe, the big issue, the conversation, the new philosopher, tes and the white review. he has made various media appearances, and is also also a blogger and film-maker. he has a strong interest in the internet, social media, disinformation and, more recently ai. he is also a painter and large abstract acrylics. many of the covers of his books were painted by him. research areas: continental philosophy: agamben, badiou, derrida, deleuze, foucault, kristeva, nancy, esposito analytical philosophy: extensional logic, frege, wittgenstein, carnap, quine literary theory contemporary and modern poetics violence biopolitics covid social media, ai and digital culture prof. watkin will supervise projects on any aspects of the work of agamben, badiou, nancy and deleuze. further he will consider supervising students on any areas of literary theory, continental philosophy, contemporary literature, experimental poetry and poetics in general. his current research interest is indifference as a development, completion and critique of discourses of difference that have predominated in the humanities for the last forty years. he just completed a monograph on the work of philosopher giorgio agamben in relation to indifference. agamben is one of watkin’s areas of specialisation, having published the first critical monograph on agamben and literature in 2010. he is currently working on deleuze and indifference. his other major project is a consideration of the complex relation between poetry and philosophy since heidegger, which conceives of poetry/literature as a mode of thinking or, as watkin calls it, logopoiesis. his 2010 agamben monograph is part of a three volume study of logopoiesis which will include work on nancy and badiou in the years to come. previously watkin has published books on the new york school of poetry in relation to avant-gardism and theoretical consideration of literatures of mourning in the modern era. he has published numerous articles on contemporary experimental poetry: ashbery, o’hara, koch, schulyer, hejinian, silliman, bernstein, and du plessis contemporary poetry and poetics literature and philosophy contemporary continental philosophy: agamben, badiou, deleuze, nancy indifference william watkin has taught a wide variety of areas at brunel. his current teaching interests revolve around the changing face of literary theory in the new millennium. he runs courses on the relation of philosophy to literature and the arts from the historical origins of aesthetics through to the most contemporary philosophical statements on aesthetics and literature. he has also taught contemporary literature for many years, specialising in contemporary poetry and poetics. he has a wider interest in poetics and has taught the history of poetry. another interest is the avant-garde and experimentalism. he taught modernism and the avant-garde for many years and continues to run seminars on experimental, contemporary poetry. activities: key publications: “the poetics of presentation: lyn hejinian’s my life project and the work of giorgio agamben” textual practice 2012. “the / turn and the “ ” pause: agamben, derrida and the stratification of poetry” in textures series, lexington press 2011. “poetry’s promiscuous plurality: on a part of jean-luc nancy’s the muses[pg1] ” in jean-luc nancy and plural thinking suny 2011. the literary agamben: adventures in logopoiesis (london: continuum university press, march 2010). “derrida’s limits: aporias between ‘ousia and grammē’,” derrida today 3.1 (2010): 113-136. “projective recursion: the structure of ron silliman’s tjanting,” jacket 39 (2010). “taking steps beyond elegy: poetry, philosophy, lineation, and death,” textual practice 23.6 (2009): 1051-1065. “the materialization of prose: poiesis versus dianoia in the work of godzich & kittay, schklovsky, silliman and agamben,” paragraph 31.3 (2008): 344-364. “‘systematic rule-governed violations of convention’: ron silliman’s poetic procedures,” contemporary literature 48.4, 2007: 499-529. “counterchange: derrida’s poetry,” in encountering derrida: legacies and futures of deconstruction (london: continuum, 2007). on mourning: theories of loss in modern literature. (edinburgh university press, 2004). “revolution, melancholia and materiality in the work of julia kristeva”. paragraph 26.3 (2003): 86-107. “friendly little communities: derrida’s politics of death.” strategies: journal of theory, culture and politics 15.2 (2002): 219-237. in the process of poetry: the new york school and the avant-garde. (lewisburg, penn.: bucknell university press, 2001). “poetry machines: repetition in the early poetry of kenneth koch.” entertext 1.1 (dec. 2000): 83-117.
![Professor William Watkin]()
Professor William Watkin
William Watkin is Professor of Contemporary Philosophy and Literature. He has been at Brunel University since 1999, and has held a personal Chair there since 2008. He is currently Director of Research for the Arts and Humanities Department, a position he has held more than once. During his time at Brunel he has also served as Head of English and of the English and Creative Writing Division and Deputy Head of the School. Professor Watkin has extensive experience with research assessment. He wrote English’s successful RAE2008 bid, our first submission as a unit to the RAE. He then supervised the early stages of our successful REF 2014 bid, overseeing the school’s internal mock-REF. He took over the final stages of the REF2021 submission, creating a vision for the division "Transforming the Literary Landscape." This submission was highly commended by the university and resulted in one of the highest GPAs at Brunel. Prof. Watkin’s research profile is extremely well-established, highly-regarded, influential and wide-ranging. His main area of interest for the last decade has been the philosophy of indifference. Although a well-established philosopher, Watkin began his career working on contemporary poetics and literary theory and wrote three books in this area. The third of these "The Literary Agamben", was highly regarded by Agamben himself and paved the way for the second phase of Watkin's career as he transitioned from a literary theorist to a continental philosopher. Watkin is the world's leading expert on the philosophy of Giorgio Agamben. Of his fourth book "Agamben and Indifference" Agamben himself wrote: "Watkin has produced a work of astonishing originality, which any attempt to read twentieth-century philosophy will be obliged to confront”. Of the same book leading philosoher François Laruelle wrote: “Watkin’s sharp lens is indispensable for those who want to grasp a central aspect of contemporary philosophy." Watkin is also one of the leading voices on the philosophy of Alain Badiou having written two books on key concepts in Badiou's overall project: "Badiou and Indifferent Being" and "Badiou and Communicable Worlds". Watkin's seventh book, "Bioviolence: How the powers that be make us do what they want" applies his philosophy of indifference to biopolitical theory, another area where he has extensive expertise. "Bioviolence" is also the first attempt by Watkin to apply indifferential thought to contemporary, real-world examples. This project is continued in his next book "Herd Immunities: The Philosophy of Covid" which analyses the global pandemic using the indifferential reasoning he has developed in the earlier work. Watkin is a published journalist with articles in The Independent, The Week, Newsweek Europe, The Big Issue, The Conversation, The New Philosopher, TES and The White Review. He has made various media appearances, and is also also a blogger and film-maker. He has a strong interest in the internet, social media, disinformation and, more recently AI. He is also a painter and large abstract acrylics. Many of the covers of his books were painted by him. Research Areas: Continental philosophy: Agamben, Badiou, Derrida, Deleuze, Foucault, Kristeva, Nancy, Esposito Analytical philosophy: Extensional logic, Frege, Wittgenstein, Carnap, Quine Literary Theory Contemporary and Modern Poetics Violence Biopolitics Covid Social media, AI and digital culture Prof. Watkin will supervise projects on any aspects of the work of Agamben, Badiou, Nancy and Deleuze. Further he will consider supervising students on any areas of literary theory, continental philosophy, contemporary literature, experimental poetry and poetics in general. His current research interest is indifference as a development, completion and critique of discourses of difference that have predominated in the humanities for the last forty years. He just completed a monograph on the work of philosopher Giorgio Agamben in relation to indifference. Agamben is one of Watkin’s areas of specialisation, having published the first critical monograph on Agamben and literature in 2010. He is currently working on Deleuze and indifference. His other major project is a consideration of the complex relation between poetry and philosophy since Heidegger, which conceives of poetry/literature as a mode of thinking or, as Watkin calls it, logopoiesis. His 2010 Agamben monograph is part of a three volume study of logopoiesis which will include work on Nancy and Badiou in the years to come. Previously Watkin has published books on the New York School of poetry in relation to avant-gardism and theoretical consideration of literatures of mourning in the modern era. He has published numerous articles on contemporary experimental poetry: Ashbery, O’Hara, Koch, Schulyer, Hejinian, Silliman, Bernstein, and Du Plessis Contemporary Poetry and Poetics Literature and Philosophy Contemporary Continental Philosophy: Agamben, Badiou, Deleuze, Nancy Indifference William Watkin has taught a wide variety of areas at Brunel. His current teaching interests revolve around the changing face of literary theory in the new millennium. He runs courses on the relation of philosophy to literature and the arts from the historical origins of aesthetics through to the most contemporary philosophical statements on aesthetics and literature. He has also taught contemporary literature for many years, specialising in contemporary poetry and poetics. He has a wider interest in poetics and has taught the history of poetry. Another interest is the avant-garde and experimentalism. He taught modernism and the avant-garde for many years and continues to run seminars on experimental, contemporary poetry. Activities: Key Publications: “The Poetics of Presentation: Lyn Hejinian’s My Life Project and the work of Giorgio Agamben” Textual Practice 2012. “The / Turn and the “ ” Pause: Agamben, Derrida and the Stratification of Poetry” in Textures Series, Lexington Press 2011. “Poetry’s Promiscuous Plurality: On a Part of Jean-Luc Nancy’s The Muses[PG1] ” in Jean-Luc Nancy and Plural Thinking SUNY 2011. The Literary Agamben: Adventures in Logopoiesis (London: Continuum University Press, March 2010). “Derrida’s Limits: Aporias between ‘Ousia and Grammē’,” Derrida Today 3.1 (2010): 113-136. “Projective Recursion: The Structure of Ron Silliman’s Tjanting,” Jacket 39 (2010). “Taking steps beyond elegy: poetry, philosophy, lineation, and death,” Textual Practice 23.6 (2009): 1051-1065. “The Materialization of Prose: Poiesis versus Dianoia in the work of Godzich & Kittay, Schklovsky, Silliman and Agamben,” Paragraph 31.3 (2008): 344-364. “‘Systematic rule-governed violations of convention’: Ron Silliman’s Poetic Procedures,” Contemporary Literature 48.4, 2007: 499-529. “Counterchange: Derrida’s Poetry,” in Encountering Derrida: Legacies and Futures of Deconstruction (London: Continuum, 2007). On Mourning: Theories of Loss in Modern Literature. (Edinburgh University Press, 2004). “Revolution, Melancholia and Materiality in the Work of Julia Kristeva”. Paragraph 26.3 (2003): 86-107. “Friendly Little Communities: Derrida’s Politics of Death.” Strategies: Journal of Theory, Culture and Politics 15.2 (2002): 219-237. In the Process of Poetry: The New York School and the Avant-Garde. (Lewisburg, Penn.: Bucknell University Press, 2001). “Poetry Machines: Repetition in the Early Poetry of Kenneth Koch.” EnterText 1.1 (Dec. 2000): 83-117.
Lau
pin lean is a senior lecturer (associate professor) in bio-law at brunel law school, joining brunel university london in january 2021. a former practising barrister and solicitor, she was a corporate-commercial attorney working primarily in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, technology law, and general corporate advisory matters. prior to joining brunel university, she was an attorney on secondment with the legal services team (based in belgrave, london) in the general counsel's organization of american express international, where she was a key senior legal counsel for the asia-pacific region. she obtained her sjd in comparative constitutional law from central european university, budapest, hungary, in 2019 (nostrified in the uk in 2020), earning highest honours, summa cum laude, for her thesis titled 'comparative legal frameworks for pre-implantation genetic interventions' (which has been written into a monograph published by springer switzerland). pin lean is the general manager of the centre for artificial intelligence: social & digital innovations. she is an active member of the brunel international law research group, living avatars research group, the human rights, society and the arts research group, and reproduction research group. externally, she is part of the elsi2.0 workspace, an international collaboratory on genomics and society research; a member of the european association of health law (eahl), and a general manager of the interest group on supranational bio-law of the eahl; and a member of the daughters of themis: international network of women business scholars. she has held visiting fellowships with the centre for health, law and emerging technologies (helex), ndph (medical sciences division), university of oxford; the centre for ethics and law in the life sciences (cells) at the university of hannover, germany; and participated in the centre for ethics and law in biomedicine (celab) in central european university, hungary. pin lean also leads the uk & european chapter of the global responsible metaverse alliance as director of research; and is an invited member of the united nations (un) international telecommunications union (itu) working group on the metaverse, focusing on competition, economics, standards and regulatory aspects of the metaverse. her research encompasses european, international, and comparative law for genome editing (with a focus on pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, reproductive technologies and women's bodies; and the proliferation of virulent gene-edited pathogens and global bio-security); propertization and commodification studies of genetic materials and biomedical technologies; the ethico-legal governance for artificial intelligence (ai) systems (with a focus on protection of fundamental rights, spatial 'body citizenship' and bio-constitutional implications of the ai-augmented biological human body, and ai in women's health); and technologies horizon scanning and legal future foresighting for new and emerging technologies and environments, such as the metaverse. she has written widely on topics straddling the fringes of laws, technologies and society, and has been invited as a speaker by many national and international organisations, including on podcasts relating to technologies, and media interviews with news organisations in the uk, us, france, germany, brazil, hungary, malaysia, japan, and india. recently, she was invited as an expert panelist by the uk regulatory alliance, the digital cooperation regulation forum (drcf) in its first metaverse symposium. she has also consulted as an expert with the uk law society on technologies and horizon scanning in its future worlds 2050 project. pin lean previously consulted on a multi-trust funded project for the world health organization (who), food and agriculture organization (fao) and the oie (world organization for animal health), on developing and piloting of a tripartite one health assessment tool for antimicrobial resistance relevant legislation. she also completed a project with researchers from the eahl to produce a joint statement for the european commission's 2021 thematic networks, with a proposal for health as a fundamental value, as part of the eu pharmaceutical strategy. she led a project on ai-driven technologies in women's healthcare, funded by the institute for communities & society. besides this, she is also working on several book projects, including health and ip rights in eu health law, and eu health databases; on the eu draft law for artificial intelligence and data protection; on ai gender data gap and data feminism; and on femtech and effective ai stewardship for women's healthcare. she is also a contributor in the eurogct project (european gene & cell therapy project) funded by the european commission's horizon 2020 work programme, contributing in the area of data misuse and mission creep in eu health laws relating to patient involvement and patient data. she was the keynote speaker, with the presentation titled 'hidden figures: algorithmic biases in health and medical ai - european law perspectives' at the xvi inter-autonomous conference on the legal protection of patients: science and data as ingredients for the transformation of healthcare organisations. she led a european commission health policy platform project, together with civil society organisation, health action international, to produce a joint statement and policy recommendations for the european commission 2022 thematic networks, on the impact of artificial intelligence on health outcomes (reducing health inequalities) of marginalised groups in the eu - presenting this report to the european commission in luxembourg in april 2023. she currently leads the stakeholder network for this project on the eu health policy platform. from august 2023, pin lean leads a project (lex-hmt) focusing on legal and regulatory aspects of immersive biomedical technologies in virtual worlds, and is expected to provide oral evidence to the ai all-parliamentary group (ai appg) in the uk house of lords in november 2023. she has also recently been successful as co-investigator in a ukri-funded regulatory science & innovation network funding application with the global counsel and digital catapult, on spatial computing, web3.0 and the metaverse. pin lean's research interests encompass european, international and comparative law for genome editing (with a focus on pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, reproductive technologies and women's bodies; and the proliferation of virulent gene-edited pathogens and global bio-security); propertization and commodication studies and debates of genetic materials and biomedical technologies; and the ethico-legal governance of ai systems (with a focus on ai in healthcare, and the protection of individual rights and fundamental liberties in ai, spatial 'body citizenship', and bio-constitutional concerns of the ai-augmented biological human body; and ai, gender data gap and data feminism in women's healthcare); and technologies horizon scanning and legal future foresighting for new and emerging technologies and environments, such as the metaverse. bio-constitutionalism and human rights implications of new and emerging biomedical technologies (gene editing, artificial intelligence, 3d organ bioprinting, xenotransplantation, cryo-preservation, reproductive cloning, etc) bioethics and feminist legal approaches to bioethics european, international and comparative law for genome editing technologies (pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and reproductive technologies) ethico-legal governance of artificial intelligence (ai) systems, particularly ai in healthcare protection of human rights and fundamental liberties in the metaverse and web3.0 admitted as a fellow of the hea (march 2022) modules taught:- tort law artificial intelligence, ethics and law (ai and health in the metaverse) artificial intelligence, bias and power law, science, and technology studies (genome editing technologies) bioethics and biomedical law
![Dr Pin Lean Lau]()
Dr Pin Lean Lau
Pin Lean is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Bio-Law at Brunel Law School, joining Brunel University London in January 2021. A former practising barrister and solicitor, she was a corporate-commercial attorney working primarily in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, technology law, and general corporate advisory matters. Prior to joining Brunel University, she was an attorney on secondment with the Legal Services Team (based in Belgrave, London) in the General Counsel's Organization of American Express International, where she was a key senior legal counsel for the Asia-Pacific region. She obtained her SJD in Comparative Constitutional Law from Central European University, Budapest, Hungary, in 2019 (nostrified in the UK in 2020), earning highest honours, Summa cum Laude, for her thesis titled 'Comparative Legal Frameworks for Pre-Implantation Genetic Interventions' (which has been written into a monograph published by Springer Switzerland). Pin Lean is the General Manager of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence: Social & Digital Innovations. She is an active member of the Brunel International Law Research Group, Living Avatars Research Group, the Human Rights, Society and the Arts Research Group, and Reproduction Research Group. Externally, she is part of the ELSI2.0 Workspace, an international collaboratory on genomics and society research; a member of the European Association of Health Law (EAHL), and a General Manager of the Interest Group on Supranational Bio-Law of the EAHL; and a member of the Daughters of Themis: International Network of Women Business Scholars. She has held visiting fellowships with the Centre for Health, Law and Emerging Technologies (HeLEX), NDPH (Medical Sciences Division), University of Oxford; the Centre for Ethics and Law in the Life Sciences (CELLs) at the University of Hannover, Germany; and participated in the Centre for Ethics and Law in Biomedicine (CELAB) in Central European University, Hungary. Pin Lean also leads the UK & European chapter of the global Responsible Metaverse Alliance as Director of Research; and is an invited member of the United Nations (UN) International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Working Group on the Metaverse, focusing on competition, economics, standards and regulatory aspects of the Metaverse. Her research encompasses European, international, and comparative law for genome editing (with a focus on pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, reproductive technologies and women's bodies; and the proliferation of virulent gene-edited pathogens and global bio-security); propertization and commodification studies of genetic materials and biomedical technologies; the ethico-legal governance for artificial intelligence (AI) systems (with a focus on protection of fundamental rights, spatial 'body citizenship' and bio-constitutional implications of the AI-augmented biological human body, and AI in women's health); and technologies horizon scanning and legal future foresighting for new and emerging technologies and environments, such as the Metaverse. She has written widely on topics straddling the fringes of laws, technologies and society, and has been invited as a speaker by many national and international organisations, including on podcasts relating to technologies, and media interviews with news organisations in the UK, US, France, Germany, Brazil, Hungary, Malaysia, Japan, and India. Recently, she was invited as an expert panelist by the UK regulatory alliance, the Digital Cooperation Regulation Forum (DRCF) in its first Metaverse Symposium. She has also consulted as an expert with the UK Law Society on technologies and horizon scanning in its Future Worlds 2050 Project. Pin Lean previously consulted on a multi-trust funded project for the World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the OiE (World Organization for Animal Health), on developing and piloting of a Tripartite One Health Assessment Tool for Antimicrobial Resistance Relevant Legislation. She also completed a project with researchers from the EAHL to produce a Joint Statement for the European Commission's 2021 Thematic Networks, with a proposal for Health as a Fundamental Value, as part of the EU Pharmaceutical Strategy. She led a project on AI-driven technologies in women's healthcare, funded by the Institute for Communities & Society. Besides this, she is also working on several book projects, including health and IP rights in EU health law, and EU health databases; on the EU Draft Law for Artificial Intelligence and data protection; on AI gender data gap and data feminism; and on FemTech and effective AI stewardship for women's healthcare. She is also a contributor in the EuroGCT Project (European Gene & Cell Therapy Project) funded by the European Commission's Horizon 2020 Work Programme, contributing in the area of data misuse and mission creep in EU health laws relating to patient involvement and patient data. She was the keynote speaker, with the presentation titled 'Hidden Figures: Algorithmic Biases in Health and Medical AI - European Law Perspectives' at the XVI Inter-Autonomous Conference on the Legal Protection of Patients: Science and Data as Ingredients for the Transformation of Healthcare Organisations. She led a European Commission Health Policy Platform project, together with civil society organisation, Health Action International, to produce a Joint Statement and policy recommendations for the European Commission 2022 Thematic Networks, on the impact of artificial intelligence on health outcomes (reducing health inequalities) of marginalised groups in the EU - presenting this report to the European Commission in Luxembourg in April 2023. She currently leads the Stakeholder Network for this project on the EU Health Policy Platform. From August 2023, Pin Lean leads a project (Lex-HMT) focusing on legal and regulatory aspects of immersive biomedical technologies in virtual worlds, and is expected to provide oral evidence to the AI All-Parliamentary Group (AI APPG) in the UK House of Lords in November 2023. She has also recently been successful as Co-Investigator in a UKRI-funded regulatory science & innovation network funding application with The Global Counsel and Digital Catapult, on spatial computing, web3.0 and the Metaverse. Pin Lean's research interests encompass European, international and comparative law for genome editing (with a focus on pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, reproductive technologies and women's bodies; and the proliferation of virulent gene-edited pathogens and global bio-security); propertization and commodication studies and debates of genetic materials and biomedical technologies; and the ethico-legal governance of AI systems (with a focus on AI in healthcare, and the protection of individual rights and fundamental liberties in AI, spatial 'body citizenship', and bio-constitutional concerns of the AI-augmented biological human body; and AI, gender data gap and data feminism in women's healthcare); and technologies horizon scanning and legal future foresighting for new and emerging technologies and environments, such as the Metaverse. Bio-constitutionalism and human rights implications of new and emerging biomedical technologies (gene editing, artificial intelligence, 3D organ bioprinting, xenotransplantation, cryo-preservation, reproductive cloning, etc) Bioethics and feminist legal approaches to bioethics European, international and comparative law for genome editing technologies (pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and reproductive technologies) Ethico-legal governance of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, particularly AI in healthcare Protection of human rights and fundamental liberties in the Metaverse and Web3.0 Admitted as a Fellow of the HEA (March 2022) Modules Taught:- Tort Law Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and Law (AI and Health in the Metaverse) Artificial Intelligence, Bias and Power Law, Science, and Technology Studies (genome editing technologies) Bioethics and Biomedical Law