Dr Tom Cochrane

Senior Lecturer

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

place Social Sciences North (3116)
GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, South Australia

Born in the UK, Tom completed his BA (hons) in philosophy at University College London, followed by a MA in music composition at Birmingham Conservatoire, and then a PhD in philosophy at the University of Nottingham. His PhD supervisor was Gregory Currie.

Following his PhD, Tom was a postdoctoral fellow at the Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva (2007-2010). He was then an international visiting fellow at the Sonic Arts Research Center, Queen's University Belfast (2010-2012), before moving to the University of Sheffield as a lecturer (2012-2017). After a brief stint at the University of York in 2017, he joined Flinders in February 2018.

Tom's main areas of expertise are the philosophy of mind (particularly emotions) and philosophy of art/aesthetics (particularly music). He also has interests in metaphysics and ethics.

He is the editor of The Emotional Power of Music (Oxford University Press, 2013) He is also the author of The Emotional Mind: A control theory of affective states (Cambridge University Press, 2018) and The Aesthetic Value of the World (Oxford University Press, 2021).

Qualifications

BA (hons) Philosophy, University College London, 1999
MA Music Composition, Birmingham Conservatoire, 2001
PhD Philosophy, University of Nottingham, 2007

Honours, awards and grants

Jacobsen Fellowship, 2004-2005
Swiss National Science Foundation grant, ‘The Mood Organ: Putting theories of Musical Expression into Practice', 2010-2012.
EU FP7 Emerging Technologies grant, ‘Social Interaction and Entrainment using Music Performance Experimentation', 2010-2013

Key responsibilities

Teaching and research, College of Humanties, Arts and Social Science

Topic coordinator
PHIL1030 Individual and Society
PHIL1060 Critical Reasoning
PHIL1010 Mind and World
PHIL2607 Happiness and Mental Health
PHIL3602 Contemporary Metaphysics
PHIL3603 Contemporary Philosophy of Mind
CREA3104 The music that moves us
PHIL3607 Contemporary Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art
Topic lecturer
PHIL1030 Individual and Society
PHIL1060 Critical Reasoning
PHIL1010 Mind and World
PHIL3602 Contemporary Metaphysics
PHIL3603 Contemporary Philosophy of Mind
PHIL3607 Contemporary Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art
PHIL2607 Happiness and Mental Health
Supervisory interests
Aesthetics
Aesthetics, moral aspects of works of art
Anxiety disorders
Art
Attention
Cognitive psychology
Digial music composition
Emotions
Film aesthetics
Mental health
Music, organ and choral
Pain processing
Philosophy
Philosophy of mind
Positive psychology
Psychological wellbeing
Psychology
Theories of mind
Expert for media contact
Music
Philosophy
Aesthetics
Collective and extended cognition
Consciousness
Emotion
Music
Philosophy
Well-being
Available for contact via
Or contact the media team
+61 8 82012092
0427 398 713
Media expertise
  • Music
  • Philosophy
Interests
  • Aesthetics
  • Collective and extended cognition
  • Consciousness
  • Emotion
  • Music
  • Philosophy
  • Well-being