Julian Lee-Sursin
Hi! I'm Julian. I do philosophy and cognitive science (mostly). I'm currently a master's student in cognitive science at the ENS. Last year, I was a visiting scholar at Johns Hopkins University. Before that, I did my MPhil at Sorbonne Université.
Here is my CV (PDF).
My research lies at the intersection of philosophy and cognitive science. You can learn more about my research by attending one of my upcoming talks:
Upcoming talks
See varia to learn more about some of my other interests.
Do feel free to reach me at jleesur1@jh.edu if you wanna talk about philosophy and cogsci (or anything else really).
Here is a video of one of my recent talks:
Fashion and the Jacksonian Mode: Intentionality Beyond Language — Symposium, Institut Français de la Mode, Paris (Nov 2025)
See my CV for a complete list of presentations.
Varia
I have a few interests outside of philosophy and cognitive science, some of which connect back to my academic work on non-linguistic representation.
Fashion
My interest in fashion has paired nicely with my research on how non-linguistic tokens can communicate meaning. Fashion is a particularly rich domain for this: clothing choices can express identity, social position, and aesthetic values without a single word being spoken. In March 2025, I had the chance to perform in Paris Fashion Week with Duranimal (Duran Lantink's show) and at the Saut Hermès dinner. These experiences gave me a firsthand look at how fashion can act as a communicative medium.
Music
I am a classically trained bass vocalist. I have studied at the Peabody Conservatory and the Oberlin Conservatory.
Some notable concerts I've sung in:
- Verdi's Macbeth with Plácido Domingo at Salle Gaveau (Apr 2025)
- Rossini's Le Comte Ory at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Nov 2024)
- The Bastille Day Parade, featuring Macron and the Olympic torch (Jul 2024)
- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, dir. Joe Hisaishi, at La Défense Arena (Apr 2024)
- Mozart's Mass in C minor at Les Invalides (Dec 2023)
- Regular concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris
Sports
I also enjoy a few sports that have nothing to do with my research (as far as I can tell). I play chess, currently rated 1742 FIDE (blitz). In college, I was a defensive end for Oberlin's football team. And in high school, I played varsity tennis.