Johannes Brinz

I am a doctoral researcher at the Institute of Philosophy, Osnabrück University, where I have been a Research Assistant since October 2022. My dissertation investigates the philosophical foundations of neuromorphic computation—asking whether brain-inspired hardware can genuinely duplicate the computational structure of biological neural systems, or whether it only simulates them.

My background is interdisciplinary: I hold a MA in Philosophy (TU Dresden, grade 1.1), a BSc in Physics (TU Dresden), and a BA in Philosophy (TU Dresden). Earlier, I studied Mechanical Engineering at TU Munich and have done exchange semesters in Lisbon and Belo Horizonte. This breadth informs my approach to the philosophy of mind and AI.

I am currently seeking postdoctoral positions in philosophy of mind, philosophy of AI, or philosophy of science, ideally starting in 2026/27.

My work centres on non-classical computation—specifically whether neuromorphic computers can duplicate the mammalian brain’s computational structure rather than merely approximate it. I draw on philosophy of science and philosophy of mind to analyse what kinds of models neurocomputational science produces and what it would mean for a machine to be computationally equivalent to a brain.

I am also an associated member of the Research Training Group Situated Cognition (Universities of Osnabrück and Bochum) and co-editor (with Gualtiero Piccinini) of a topical collection on Philosophy of Neuromorphic AI in Philosophy of AI.