News

News from the research group

This is where we’ll share news of what’s going on with Dr. Koi & the group.

  • Polaris gives a talk for the Royal College of Psychiatrists

    The Royal College of Psychiatrists organises a number of interesting webinars. Polaris Koi gave a talk in one such event, on the topic of cognition enhancers and so-called smart drugs. Professors Fabrizio Schifano and Amira Guirguis gave an overview of the pharmacology of these substances, while Polaris brought in a neuroethics perspective based on his research on the topic. Thanks to the organisers for putting together a great event!

  • CFP: Perspectives on Agency and Disadvantage

    University of Turku, Finland, July 2–3 2025

    Deadline extended to March 25, 2025!

    This two-day interdisciplinary workshop explores human agency in the context of social interaction and social structure. We invite academics across philosophy, psychology, and related disciplines to present new work on any aspect of the interaction of agency and disadvantage to share theoretical insights, empirical research, and practical social and political applications. The workshop is hosted by the Agency as Experience and Capacity: Social Mechanisms, Political Implications project at the University of Turku, supported by the Kone foundation. The event is organized by Polaris Koi, Anssi Bwalya and Joonas Martikainen.

    The keynote speakers are:

    Jeanette Kennett (Philosophy, Macquarie University)

    Nelli Hankonen (Social Psychology, Tampere University)

    Lilian O’Brien (Philosophy, University of Helsinki)

    The workshop is about the relationship of agency and disadvantage, broadly conceived. Contributions in philosophy, psychology, and other relevant disciplines, such as social sciences, are warmly welcomed. We are interested in both theoretical and empirical work across topics including, but not limited to, the following:

    Agency, disability, and impairment
    Political agency and social exclusion
    Sense of agency and socioeconomic disadvantage
    Supporting agency in disadvantaged populations
    The social determinants of self-efficacy
    Social injustice and breakdowns of agency
    Mental illness and autonomy
    Decision-making and disadvantage
    Politicized conceptions of agency
    Oppression and autonomous action
    The social mechanisms of self-control
    The self-control ethos and (Western) culture
    Social and individual factors shaping agency beliefs
    Agency beliefs and real-life outcomes
    Agency in the digital age

    To be considered as a speaker, please submit an abstract of 500 words as an anonymized PDF file to agencyexperienceturku@gmail.com by March 16th. Deadline extended to March 25th!

    In the accompanying e-mail, please give full author details.

    Speaker selection is based on a combination of abstract quality, diversity and fit of topics, and diversity of career stage. Results will be communicated by April 4.

    We have space for around 12 papers. The workshop is free of charge for both speakers and audience. Two lunches, coffee, and one dinner are covered for all speakers. While we are unable to cover the travel expenses of all speakers, we are able to cover travel and accommodations for a limited number of speakers based on need. If you wish to be considered for travel assistance, please note that in the e-mail accompanying your submission. This in no way influences the abstract selection process. 

    The event will be livestreamed, so the audience can also participate online. Information about registration for online and on-site participation will be circulated in April. Updates will be posted on the event’s web page at https://sites.utu.fi/agencyproject/2025-agency-and-disadvantage-workshop/

    If you have any questions about the event, please contact Polaris Koi at polaris.koi@utu.fi

    Traveling to Turku: The Turku airport has connections to a handful of European cities, including Stockholm, Gdansk and Rome. Turku is easily accessible by bus and train from the Helsinki airport, which connects to all major cities, and by ferry from Stockholm.

  • Polaris gives a talk in the Night of Science

    The Night of Science is a block party for science and research, celebrated annually in Helsinki. Polaris Koi gave a talk on situational factors in preference and choice at a paricipating event, “Päätämmekö itse mistä pidämme?” (Do we decide what we like?) hosted by the Finnish Academy for Sciences and Letters. The venue was packed, with some eventgoers listening from the hallway.

  • Polaris wins Fulbright fellowship

    Polaris Koi has been selected by the Fulbright Finland Foundation as one of the 2025–2026 ASLA-Fulbright Junior Scholars. He will use the fellowship to spend the spring 2026 semester at the University of Pennsylvania, working on the relationship of disadvantage, agency, and option generation.

  • Kone Foundation grants 400k€ to research on agency

    Grand news! Polaris Koi (PI) and postdocs Joonas Martikainen & Anssi Bwalya receive four years of research funding, totalling just over 400,000€, to our “Agency as experience and capacity” research project. The generous support comes from the Kone foundation, which supports research and the arts in Finland.