I am a philosopher, professor, writer, and artist.

I was born in East Timor and raised in Portugal, near Lisbon. I studied philosophy at the University of Lisbon, where I earned my BA, MA, and Ph.D., with research stays at King’s College London, NYU, Tulane, and Rutgers. I now teach at LSU New Orleans (formerly the University of New Orleans).

My research is mainly in aesthetics and the philosophy of film, and more broadly in doing philosophy through popular culture, film, and music. I am co-editing a book on Richard Linklater’s Slacker (Bloomsbury Academic), and I have recent and forthcoming chapters on the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, and Elvis. I am also editing The Ethics of Human-AI Relationships: AI Friends and Companions (Brill). Earlier work includes a book on unconditional basic income, which won the Portuguese Philosophy Society’s essay prize, and writing on Wittgenstein, free will, and the philosophy of mind. I am also particularly interested in women in the history of philosophy, especially Mary Wollstonecraft.

I edit the Film and Philosophy section of the APA Blog and serve on the Program Committee of the APA Central Division. I love bringing people together: I organized the AI and Philosophy Conference at LSU New Orleans and our first Philosophy Student Conference, and I work with the students of the LSU New Orleans Philosophical Society, which meets every Wednesday.

When I’m not doing philosophy, I draw and paint. You can see some of that work here on the site.