Bryan Cheng
About Me
Hi! I work in philosophy of physics and science. I previously studied the BPhil in Philosophy and MPhysPhil in Physics and Philosophy at the University of Oxford, and the MASt in Applied Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. My research is currently in the history and philosophy of high energy physics, with a focus on the notion of approximate symmetries and the application of group theory during the development of the Standard Model. I also have wider interests in the philosophy of spacetime, as well as issues regarding empiricism and scientific anti-realism.
Outside of philosophy, I obsess over classical music, fencing, analogue photography, caffeinated beverages, and cooking.
Find my CV here. Contact me at mrbryancheng[at]gmail[dot]com.
Research
Published Work
- Bryan Cheng and James Read, "Why Not a Sound Postulate?," published in Foundations of Physics 51(72), 2021.
- Bryan Cheng and James Read, "Shifts and Reference," published in A. Vassallo (ed.), The Foundations of Spacetime Physics: Philosophical Perspectives, London: Routledge, 2022. [Preprint.]
- James Read and Bryan Cheng, "Euclidean Spacetime Functionalism," published in Synthese 200(6), 2022.
- Honglie Ning et al., "Light-induced Weyl semiconductor-to-metal transition mediated by Peierls instability," published in Physical Review B 106 (205118), 2022.
Preprints/Submitted
- Bryan Cheng and James Read, "The Hole Argument and Putnam's Paradox," submitted to Erkenntnis, 2025. [Preprint.]