Ansley Avis

Ansley Avis is a Ph.D. student at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she studies Philosophy with a research focus on ADHD. Before deciding to pursue philosophy as a graduate student, she received her undergraduate degree in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis. She was diagnosed with ADHD at age 14, but self diagnosed at age 10 after reading Rick Riordan’s generational masterpiece, "The Lightning Thief." Her own experience with ADHD – a diagnosis she shares with her mother, grandfather, and three siblings – fueled her academic endeavors in studying the mind across multiple disciplines. Her ongoing research interests include the Philosophy of Mind, Psychiatry, Imagination, and Politics. Currently, she is developing a project aimed at enhancing our conceptual understanding of ADHD, which advocates for the importance of enabling grassroots, community-based cultivation of knowledge and expertise.