Research Portfolio
Interdisciplinary explorations at the intersection of philosophy, anthropology, and emerging technologies
Current Research
Becoming a Subject Through the Body: An Auto-Ethnography of Ashtanga Yoga
Master's Thesis in Socio-Anthropology • Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté • 2025
Embodied Attention, Agency, and Critical Subjectivation
This research combines auto-ethnographic methodology with phenomenological analysis to examine how Ashtanga yoga functions as a "technology of the self" in Foucault's sense. Through sustained personal practice and rigorous self-observation, I investigate how structured somatic practices shape attention, cultivate agency, and contribute to processes of subjectivation.
Key Research Questions:
- How do disciplined embodied practices transform attentional capacities?
- What is the relationship between somatic discipline and the cultivation of agency?
- How do practices of the self create new forms of subjectivity?
- What can embodied practice teach us about resistance and submission to power?
Methodology:
- Auto-ethnography: Systematic self-observation and documentation of practice
- Phenomenological analysis: Detailed examination of lived experience
- Field diary: Daily recording of resistance, rhythm, and reflective processes
- Theoretical integration: Dialogue between experience and philosophical concepts
Theoretical Framework:
Drawing on Michel Foucault's concept of "technologies of the self," Maurice Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology of embodiment, and contemporary attention studies, this research explores how embodied practices serve as both forms of self-discipline and means of liberation.
Previous Research
Anthropocene and Social Time
Master's Thesis in Philosophy of Practices • Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté • 2022
Beyond Narratives of Crisis and Disruption of Relations, Towards Other Temporalities
This research challenged dominant crisis narratives surrounding the Anthropocene, arguing for more nuanced understandings of temporal experience and social relations. Rather than focusing on disruption and catastrophe, I explored alternative temporal frameworks that might support different ways of relating to environmental and social change.
Key Contributions:
- Critique of linear, crisis-oriented temporalities in environmental discourse
- Exploration of cyclical, seasonal, and embodied temporalities
- Analysis of how different temporal frameworks shape political possibilities
- Investigation of indigenous and non-Western temporal concepts
Theoretical Approach:
Integrating phenomenological approaches to time-consciousness with critical theory and environmental philosophy, this work examined how our understanding of time shapes our capacity for response to environmental challenges.
AI-Augmented Research Methodology
A significant aspect of my research practice involves the innovative use of AI tools as dialogical partners in academic inquiry. This approach represents a pioneering methodology in academic research, exploring the potential for human-AI collaboration in knowledge creation.
Collaborative AI Workflows
Iterative Prompt Development
Developing sophisticated prompt strategies that support deep conceptual exploration and theoretical development, treating AI as a thinking partner rather than a simple tool.
Attentional Scaffolding
Using AI collaboration to maintain focus and generate new avenues of inquiry, supporting sustained attention in complex theoretical work.
Narrative Experimentation
Exploring how AI collaboration can support different modes of academic writing and theoretical expression, from formal argumentation to creative exploration.
Conceptual Variation
Using AI to generate multiple perspectives on complex ideas, supporting dialectical thinking and conceptual refinement.
Research Contributions
My 100-page master's thesis represents one of the first sustained examples of AI-augmented academic research, integrating:
- Theoretical rigor: Maintaining philosophical precision while incorporating AI collaboration
- Methodological innovation: Developing new frameworks for ethical AI use in research
- Empirical grounding: Combining AI-assisted analysis with ethnographic field data
- Reflexive practice: Critical examination of the AI collaboration process itself
Selected Projects
Field Diary on Embodied Attention
A sustained auto-ethnographic project documenting the development of attentional capacities through Ashtanga yoga practice. This ongoing project maintains detailed records of resistance, rhythm, and reflection across different phases of practice.
Duration: 2023-Present
Methods: Daily logging, phenomenological analysis, theoretical integration
AI-Human Collaboration in Academic Writing
An experimental project exploring the boundaries and possibilities of AI collaboration in academic research and writing, developing ethical frameworks for human-AI partnership in knowledge creation.
Duration: 2023-2024
Output: 100-page thesis, methodological framework, ethical guidelines
Cross-Cultural Embodiment Studies
Comparative research on embodied practices across different cultural contexts, examining how cultural frameworks shape the experience and interpretation of somatic disciplines.
Duration: 2023-2025
Locations: France, India, United States
Attention Studies Literature Review
Comprehensive review of contemporary attention studies, examining how different disciplines approach questions of attention, distraction, and cognitive enhancement in digital environments.
Focus Areas: Philosophy of mind, cognitive science, media studies, contemplative studies
Research Interests & Future Directions
Human-AI Interaction
- Ethical frameworks for AI collaboration
- Phenomenology of human-AI interaction
- AI as cognitive scaffolding
- Collaborative intelligence models
Attention & Technology
- Digital attention economies
- Contemplative practices in digital environments
- Attention as political and ethical issue
- Technology design for sustained attention
Embodied Cognition
- Somatic practices and cognitive development
- Embodied approaches to learning
- Body-mind integration in educational contexts
- Phenomenology of skilled movement
Critical Theory & Technology
- Power relations in digital environments
- Subjectivation in networked societies
- Technologies of the self in digital contexts
- Resistance and agency in algorithmic cultures
Publications & Presentations
Selected academic work and conference presentations
Forthcoming
- "Becoming a Subject Through the Body: An Auto-Ethnography of Ashtanga Yoga" - Master's Thesis, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté (2025)
- "AI as Dialogical Partner: Ethical Frameworks for Collaborative Research" - Conference paper in development
Completed
- "Anthropocene and Social Time: Beyond Narratives of Crisis" - Master's Thesis, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté (2022)
- Philosophy Tutoring and Pedagogical Development - Teaching portfolio, UBFC (2021-2022)
Collaboration Opportunities
I am actively seeking collaborations in the following areas:
Academic Partnerships
Collaborative research projects exploring the intersection of philosophy, anthropology, and technology studies. Particularly interested in interdisciplinary approaches to AI ethics and human-computer interaction.
Industry Consultation
Consulting on ethical AI development, user experience research with focus on attention and embodiment, and human-centered design approaches that integrate philosophical and anthropological insights.
Educational Innovation
Developing educational technologies and pedagogical approaches that support contemplative practices, critical thinking, and embodied learning in digital environments.
Public Engagement
Writing and speaking opportunities to bring philosophical and anthropological perspectives to public discussions about technology, attention, and human agency in digital societies.