Photograph by Steve Cross
@stevecrossphotos

Christabel Cane

I'm currently finishing my PhD thesis, which (as with my MPhil and BA) I am undertaking in the philosophy department at UCL. My research is focused on the intersection between temporal and modal metaphysics, but I have taught, given talks about, done stand-up comedy routines on and podcasted about a wide range of philosophical topics.

I've taught seminars for a variety of modules at UCL, ranging from the history of philosophy, to politics, to philosophy of language. I've also created my own syllabus that I've used to introduce UCL undergraduates to the philosophy of time.

My teaching and guest lecturing at the LSE has consisted mostly within their undergraduate logic programme, and I also regularly facilitate philosophy clubs for inmates as part of my work with Philosophy In Prisons.

↓ Download Philosophy of Time Syllabus

Research

Diagram illustrating worldlines through spacetime

Publications

2025

A Route Back to Temporary Intrinsics for Relational Accounts of Persistence

Kriterion – Journal of Philosophy

doi.org/10.1515/krt-2025-0022 ↗

Work in Progress

A paper about perdurantism and temporary properties (under review)
A paper about parts and wholes (under review)
A paper about material constitution (under review)
A paper about modal individuation and S5 (in preparation)

Interested in my works in progress? Email me at zctycan[at]ucl[dot]ac[dot]uk for drafts.

Teaching

UCL September 2019 – May 2025

Postgraduate Teaching Assistant

Introduction to Logic I Term 1, 2019, 2021 & 2023
Knowledge and Reality Term 2, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024 & 2025 (seminar teaching and 1 guest lecture)
Introduction to Political Philosophy Term 1, 2022
Metaphysics Term 1, 2022; Term 2, 2024
Introduction Into Politics (BASc) Term 1, 2022 (seminar teaching and 1 guest lecture)
Philosophy of Language Term 2, 2023
Early Modern Philosophy Term 2, 2023
Study Skills Term 1, 2023 & 2024
Head PGTA Term 1 & 2, 2023–4 & 2024–5 (training new PGTAs)

London School of Economics October 2023 – May 2026

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Introduction to Logic Term 1, 2023, 2024 & 2025 (seminar teaching and 1 guest lecture)
Intermediate Logic and Probability Term 2, 2024, 2025 & 2026 (seminar teaching and 1 guest lecture)
The Big Questions Term 1 & 2, 2024–2025

Nightingale Primary School November 2020 – December 2023

Maths Tutor

Teaching small groups of 7–11 year olds, especially in preparation for SATs.

Talks

Christabel Cane giving a talk, photograph by Steve Cross

Photograph by Steve Cross @stevecrossphotos

Aug 2026

"Modal Distributional Properties"

12th European Congress of Analytic Philosophy (ECAP12), Madrid, Spain
Jul 2026

"The Matter with Statues and Lumps: The role of historical properties in temporary (& permanent) coincidence"

International Association for the Philosophy of Time, Yamaguchi, Japan
Jun 2026

"Parts, Wholes & Their Properties"

Invited — LanCog Summer Metaphysics Workshop, Lisbon, Portugal
May 2026

"Modal Distributional Properties"

Issues On The (Im)possible XI, Bratislava
Feb 2026

"What Unextended Complexes Can't Do"

Invited — Location, Grounding and Mereology Workshop, Lugano, Switzerland
Sep 2025

"Perdurantism's Problem of Temporary Properties"

GAP 12: Pathways to Truth, Düsseldorf
Jul 2025

"Perdurantism's Problem of Temporary Properties"

International Association for the Philosophy of Time, Santiago, Chile
May 2025

"The Possible Octogenarian: Making Sense of Modal Claims About Temporal Extent"

Issues On The (Im)possible XI, Bratislava
May 2025

"Statues, Lumps & The Properties That Distinguish Them"

OZSW 12th Annual Conference, Delft
May 2025

"An Objection to Perdurance Accounts of Coincidence"

'Time, Mind and Art' XXIII UMinho Philosophy Students' Conference, Braga
Mar 2025

"Statues, Lumps & The Properties That Distinguish Them"

South Carolina Society for Philosophy 2025 Meeting
Sep 2024

"Direct Vs. Derivative Instantiation: Perdurantism's Problem of Temporary Properties"

UCL Graduate Philosophy Conference, London
Sep 2024

"Qualitative Difference Across Times & Worlds"

SOPhiA Conference for Young Analytic Philosophy, Salzburg
Aug 2024

"Diachronic and Synchronic Properties"

OZSW 11th Annual Conference, Eindhoven
Aug 2024

"The Problem of Temporary Intrinsics After Einsteinian Relativity"

XXV World Congress of Philosophy, Rome
Jul 2024

"Statues and Lumps: What's The Matter?"

Aristotelian Society Joint Session (postgraduate session), Birmingham
Jun 2024

"Solving The Problem(s) of Temporary Intrinsics"

International Association for the Philosophy of Time 9th Annual Conference, Lugano
Jun 2024

"Temporary Intrinsics in Post-Newtonian Spacetime"

Physics And Reality 2024, Helsinki (online)
Jun 2024

"Diachronic Properties"

Apophansis Journal Symposium, KCL, London
May 2024

"The Mereological Problems of Temporal and Modal Change: A Case for Trans-world Perdurantism"

The London Berkeley Exchange Conference, London
Apr 2024

"Solving The Problem(s) of Temporary Intrinsics"

Midsouth Philosophy Conference, Rhodes College, Tennessee
Apr 2024

"Solving The Problem(s) of Temporary Intrinsics"

New Mexico Texas Philosophical Society, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley
Mar 2024

"The Ancient, The New & The Properties That Distinguish Them"

London Universities Philosophy Conference, organised by Philosophers of London in Solidarity, KCL & UCL
Jan 2024

"The Problem(s) of Temporary Intrinsics"

UCL Graduate Philosophy Conference, London
Dec 2023

"Critical Pedagogies"

UCL MAP Talk, London
Nov 2023

"Temporary Properties"

Oxford Graduate Philosophy Conference
Sep 2023

"The Problem of Temporary Intrinsics: Solved In A Relativistic Universe"

Emerging Ideas in Philosophy of Science Conference, Belgrade
Sep 2022

"What's The Matter with Statues?"

UCL Graduate Philosophy Conference, London
Oct 2018

"Magidor's Reconsideration of the Endurantism vs. Perdurantism Debate"

UCL Senior Seminar, London

Awards

2017–19

(Non-ancient) Keeling Scholarship

For my MPhil degree (approximately £45,000).
2022–23

Nominated — 'Inspiring Teaching Delivery' Student Choice Award

For my PGTA work at UCL.
2024

The Matei Gheorghiu Prize

For my essay The Ancient, The New & The Properties That Distinguish Them, awarded by Philosophers of London in Solidarity.
2023–24

Highly Commended — LSE Class Teacher Awards

Category: 'Inspiring Teaching'.
2024–25

Highly Commended — LSE Class Teacher Awards

Categories: 'Inspiring Teaching' and 'Student Support'.

Academic Service

Photograph by Steve Cross @stevecrossphotos

Teaching Philosophy in Prison — teaching one-off classes at HMP Lewes philosophy club and a following eleven-week introductory philosophy course. Later, covering classes at HMP Swaleside, HMP Highdown, HMP Downview, HMP Stafford and HMP Plumbstead.
Taught and co-facilitated introductory classes for UCL's ACCESS UCL programme as part of their widening participation campaign, 2025.
Head PGTA position — training new PGTAs, providing ongoing support through term and representing PGTA interests in the philosophy department — 2023–4 & 2024–5.
Served on the UCL Minorities and Philosophy committee, 2020–2022 & 2023–2024.
Co-organised a summer writing programme for PhD candidates, 2023.
Co-organised an online feminist philosophy reading group, 2020–2021.

Stand Up

Watch my philosophical stand-up comedy routines here:

Stand-up comedy routine 1

Stand-up comedy routine 2

Stand-up comedy routine 3

Stand-up comedy routine 4

Podcast

Christabel Cane and Professor Steve Cross, photograph by Ian Bowkett

Photograph by Ian Bowkett @ianbowkettphotography

Listen to the comedic philosophy podcast I co-host with Professor Steve Cross:

Philosophy Playdate ↗