Dr. Brill is passionate about interdisciplinary connections between philosophy, science, and healthcare. In her research and teaching, she explores ancient Greek medical texts and draws modern parallels to organ tracking, environmental crises, and forensic ethics. In the classroom, she prompts students to engage in vibrant debates about the intersection of health and our sense of meaning in life.
Dr. Brill’s visiting fellowship will allow her to reflect deeply on conceptualizations of birth in visual and literary records from Greek antiquity—the subject of a book she is writing—while further exploring concepts of birth and natality. Engaging with scholars on an international scale, she aims to develop a contemporary ethical framework of natality with connections to reproductive politics.
Describing her excitement for the year at Clare Hall, Dr. Brill highlighted the significance of this opportunity to feel purely “replenished.” Not only will she benefit from new international networks, but also from the time to reflect, think critically, and be curious—habits she strives to instill in her students.
“The opportunity to focus on exploring ideas is such a profound joy and the deepest sustainer of what I do,” she said. “So often, students’ thinking is instrumentalized: ‘What is my grade?’ ‘What value is this going to bring me on the job market?’ It can be easy to overlook the profound joy of thinking. I am enormously grateful to get to prioritize that and be reminded of how amazing it is to get to sit around and think about ideas.”
Her U.K. fellowship will extend opportunities beyond Clare Hall, as Dr. Brill plans to participate in global conferences in Italy, Sweden, and Spain during the academic year. She recently became a member of the University of Oxford-based Philosophy of Birth Network—an academic initiative that brings together scholars, healthcare professionals, and researchers from across disciplines to explore how birth is understood and experienced from both conceptual and practical perspectives. Given Oxford’s proximity to Cambridge, she hopes to visit in person and further develop some shared projects.
Before landing in the U.K., Dr. Brill began her international journey in Italy this summer as this year’s director of the Collegium Phaenomenologicum. The threeweek international conference applied Greek tragedy as a lens to explore how evolving concepts such as genos, bios, and nekros have been re-energized and reimagined to contemplate what makes life livable. In addition to scholars from around the world, Dr. Brill was thrilled to have fellow Stags in attendance, including assistant professor of philosophy Jayla Stevenson, PhD, and former faculty member Kris Sealey, PhD.
