Hi! I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at City University of New York, Graduate Center. I work at the intersection of philosophy of mind (particularly emotion), epistemology, and cognitive science. In 2023-2024 I will be a visiting scholar at the University of Toronto, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.
My postdoctoral project is entitled "How we feel the future: hope, anxiety, and hypothetical thinking" and concerns the emotion-cognition interactions at play in our apprehension of future possibilities and their value for us.
I completed my PhD jointly at the Institut Jean Nicod in Paris and at the Interdisciplinary Center For Affective Science in Geneva, under the supervision of Jérôme Dokic and Fabrice Teroni. In 2019-2020 I was a Visiting Fellow at the New York University Philosophy department, hosted by Jane Friedman.
EDUCATION
PHD, PHILOSOPHY (2021)
Joint PhD in Philosophy and Cognitive Science - Institut Jean Nicod and University of Geneva. Dissertation awarded with highest honors.
MASTER OF SCIENCE (2013)
Philosophy of Mental Disorder, King’s College London, UK. Awarded with Distinction
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY (2022)
Paris-Sorbonne VIII, Paris, FR
BACHELOR OF ARTS, PHILOSOPHY (2011)
Paris-Sorbonne IV, Paris, FR
PAPERS
Vazard, J. (2023). Losing the Light at the End of the Tunnel: Depression, Future Thinking, and Hope. Mind & Language
Vazard, J. (forthcoming) “The Epistemic Virtue of Anxiety”, In The Moral Psychology of Anxiety, eds. Rondel, D. & Chopra, S. Rowman and Littlefield.
Vazard, J. (2019). Passions et Psychopathologie, In Origgi, G. (ed.), Dictionnaire des Passions Sociales. Presses Universitaires de France.
Vazard, J. & Deonna, J. (2019). Darker Sides of Guilt, In Cokelet, B. & Maley, C. (eds.), Moral Psychology of Guilt. Rowman and Littlefield.
Vazard, J. (2018). Epistemic Anxiety, Adaptive Cognition, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Discipline Filosofiche: Philosophical Perspectives on Affective Experience and Psychopathology, 137.
Vazard, J. (2018). « Anxiété », version académique, In Kristanek, M. (ed.), l’Encyclopédie philosophique. URL: http://encyclo-philo.fr/anxiete-a/
EDITED VOLUMES
WORRY AND WELL-BEING
Synthese Topical Collection on "Anxiety: its Nature, Value, and Challenges", co-edited with Charlie Kurth.
SELECTED TALKS
Joint Meeting Society for Philosophy and Psychology (SPP) and the European Society (ESPP), University of Milan, Italy - July 22nd
Emotions and Deviations in Prospective Cognition
International Society for Research on Emotion (ISRE), University of Southern California, Los Angeles - July 15th 2022
Desirable futures: Reframing the Role of Hope in Depression
Groupe de Recherche en Epistémologie, Collège de France – Paris, December 2020
Questioning one’s Mind: Epistemic Anxiety and the Virtue of Epistemic Cautiousness
Philosophy of Psychology Seminar, New York University – New York, February 2020
Am I wrong about this? Epistemic anxiety as an interrogative attitude
Western Michigan University Philosophy seminar – Kalamazoo, November 2019
Anxiety and Irrational Questioning
European Society for Philosophy & Psychology Annual Conference – Athens, September 2019
Feeling epistemic gaps: feeling confused and the benefits of deep inquiry
European Philosophical Society for the Study of Emotion (EPSSE) Annual Conference – Pisa, June 2019
Possible Threats and Open Questions: Active doubt as Interrogative attitude
Swiss Center for Affective Science, Workshop “Cultivating negative emotions” – Geneva, June 2019
What we do when we doubt: Open Questions and Epistemic Anxiety
University of Neuchâtel, Philosophy Research Seminar – March 2019
Is Doubt an Emotion?
Swiss Center for Affective Science Annual Research Forum – Geneva, February 2019
What is anxiety?
University of Geneva, Thumos Research Seminar – Nov. 2018
Unreasonable Doubt as a Failure of Affective Experience
University of Basel, Cognitive Irrationality Research Seminar – May 2018
Adaptive Cognition, Epistemic Anxiety, and OCD
British Society for the History of Philosophy Annual Conference – Durham, April 2018
From Habits to Compulsions: Losing control?
Agency Lab Seminar, Institut Jean Nicod, Ecole Normale Supérieure – Paris, September 2017
Metacognitive Feelings and the Sense of Control
TEACHING
"It is obvious that Ms. Vazard loves to teach! Her enthusiasm and liveliness are very pleasant in class, she also knows the subject very well and explains the important concepts in a clear manner. I also sincerely appreciate (finally) having female teachers in the field of philosophy, which allows me to project myself into the future in philosophy"
"Thank you for your work! Your attitude, always kind and caring, is admirable and inspiring!"
– Anonymous Student Reports
Spring 2023
PRIMARY INSTRUCTOR, "INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY"
Undergraduate Introductory level course: “Major Issues in Philosophy”, Baruch College, City University of New York
Fall 2021
PRIMARY INSTRUCTOR, "ART AND EMOTION"
Graduate Philosophy course (Master and Advanced Bachelor students) on the topic of "Art and Emotions" (Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Psychology, Aesthetics). University of Geneva, Switzerland.
Spring 2019
TEACHING ASSISTANT, "META-ETHICS"
Advanced Undergraduate course in Meta-ethics (Value theory, Ethics, Moral Philosophy). University of Geneva, Switzerland.
Fall 2015 to Spring 2016
LECTURER IN FRENCH
Taught four undergraduate courses in French Language and Culture at Boston University and Simmons College, Boston, USA.
Fall 2015 to Summer 2016
WORKSHOP LEADER
Designed and led ten workshop sessions of ethics and moral psychology in French for a large audience of advanced students of French of all ages and backgrounds. Hosted by the French Cultural Center in Boston, USA.
PUBLIC PHILOSOPHY
BLOG POST
PODCAST
BLOG POST
Imagining with Hope
A post on hopeful imaginings, their characteristics, and epistemic value, written together with Steve Humbert-Droz, and published in "The Junkyard", a scholarly blog devoted to the study of imagination.
From Eco-Anxiety to Eco-Hope
In this podcast series in french, several researchers discuss the role of emotions in our management of the climate crisis. In the episode "From Eco-anxiety to Eco-hope", I share some thoughts on the nature of anxiety, and its positive counterpart: hope.
OCD and Anxiety
A post on Epistemic Anxiety and Obsessive-compulsive Disorder, published in “Imperfect Cognitions”, a blog dedicated to irrational beliefs, cognitive distortions, delusions, etc.
WORK IN PROGRESS
Vazard, J. “The Doxastic Base of Emotions of Uncertainty” (under review)
Vazard, J. "Desirable Futures: Episodic Future Thought, Hope, and Depression" (under review)
Vazard, J., Humbert-Droz, S. “What Role for Imagination in Hope?” (in progress)
Vazard, J. "From Eco-Anxiety to Eco-Hope" (in progress)
Vazard, J. "Emotions of Uncertainty and Affective Forecasting" (in progress)
CONTACT
