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 focuses on explanation, language, and supralinguistic meaning (e.g. meaning in fashion). I also think about AI and computational neuroscience. You can learn more about my research by attending one of my upcoming talks:
Upcoming talks
Or scroll down to learn more about my research interests.
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).
Research
Recently, my research has clustered in three main areas.
I. Explanation and Why-Questions
The first centers around the fact that explanations are answers to why questions. This area has proven to be an interesting intersection of philosophy of science and metaphysics (on the explanation side), which I studied during my MPhil at La Sorbonne, and language and cognitive science (on the why-questions side), which I am currently studying at the ENS. So far, most of the talks I've given in this area center around the semantics of explanation and why-questions—and some implications of the semantics for the metaphysics of time and for AI.
II. Philosophy of Computational Neuroscience and AI
A second interest of mine involves general questions about the philosophy of computational neuroscience and AI. For instance, I have some thoughts about inferring things about the computational structure of mind from empirical data about brain-model alignment.
III. Meaning Beyond Language
My third main interest is a bit broader, and has to do with the following question: How, generally speaking, can things have meaning? This interest involves exploring how non-linguistic tokens—such as fashion tokens or non-verbal actions—communicate meaning and inhere content. So far, this has taken the form of figuring out how fashion inheres meaning and communicates. This research has paired nicely with my more dilettantish interests in fashion and in music (see varia).
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 supralinguistic meaning.
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. Currently, I study at the Peabody Preparatory. Before that, I took some music courses at the Oberlin Conservatory. Like fashion, music offers a window into supralinguistic meaning.
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 supralinguistic meaning (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.