Collin Lucken
Hastings Postdoctoral Scholar in AI & Humanity
Bowdoin College
My research investigates how understanding is generated through material and practical engagement—in scientific laboratories, engineering workshops, and artificial systems. I work at the intersection of philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, and the history of scientific thought, with particular attention to the epistemic role of engineering practice. This work is informed by prior training in chemical and biomolecular engineering (B.S., NYU) and robotics and intelligent autonomous systems (M.Eng., Cincinnati).
News
- 2025 Recruited a team of undergraduate student ambassadors as part of the Hastings Initiative for AI and Humanity.
- 2025 Joined Bowdoin College as Hastings Postdoctoral Scholar in AI and Humanity.
- 2025 Article published in Studies in History and Philosophy of Science: “Leveraging participatory sense-making and public engagement with science for AI democratization.”
- 2025 PhD dissertation completed: Engineering Progress in Science, University of Cincinnati.
- 2024 M.Eng. in Robotics and Intelligent Autonomous Systems completed.
Research Areas
Four interconnected lines of inquiry. For details and publications, see the research page.
Scientific Progress & Engineering Epistemology
Developing an operative account of scientific progress that treats instruments, models, and calibration routines as epistemic achievements comparable to theoretical contributions.
Conceptual Foundations of Artificial Intelligence
Examining how philosophical concepts—attention, understanding, higher-order thought—are adopted within computational systems, and the consequences of unexamined conceptual migration.
Science Communication as Epistemic Practice
Investigating how public engagement and science communication function as cognitively generative practices—reshaping researchers’ own understanding through dialogue with diverse communities and stakeholders.
Whewell, Carnap, and the Architecture of Scientific Concepts
Historical research on how philosophers of science have understood the relationship between conceptual frameworks and empirical inquiry, with implications for contemporary epistemology.