Elze Mikalonyte

Dr Elzė Sigutė Mikalonytė

BA MA PhD

  • Position Governing Body Fellow Junior Research Fellow
  • School Biological Sciences Department of Psychology
  • Email esm53@cam.ac.uk
  • X Profile ElzeSigute
  • Department link Psychology

Elzė Sigutė Mikalonytė is an aesthetician working at the intersection of philosophy and cognitive science. She is interested in psychological foundations of philosophically relevant concepts.

Elze Mikalonyte

Elzė is a Research Associate at the Department of Psychology and a Junior Research Fellow at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge. She completed her BA, MA, and PhD in Philosophy at Vilnius University, Lithuania.

In 2023, Elzė successfully defended her PhD thesis, titled ‘Mind-Independent, Yet Intuitive: A New Methodological Approach to the Ontology of Musical Works.’ During her doctoral studies, she spent a year at Institut Jean Nicod (CNRS-ENS-EHESS) in Paris, France.

Elzė is also a board member of the Lithuanian Philosophical Association and a steering committee member of the European Network for Philosophy of Music. Before she became a philosopher, she studied violin at Vilnius Conservatoire.

Elzė’s interests are in aesthetics, metaphysics, and philosophy of cognitive science. Her interdisciplinary approach has led to collaborations with philosophers, psychologists, musicologists, and neuroscientists. Elzė’s doctoral work focused on the philosophy of music and the ontology of musical works, incorporating empirical research on intuitions about the identity of musical works. She has also explored other topics in the experimental philosophy of aesthetics, such as the folk concept of art, intuitions on AI-created art, and the interaction between aesthetic and ontological judgments. At the Department of Psychology, Elzė is currently working on the “Higher Values: Aesthetic Experiences, Transcendence, and Prosociality” project with Professor Simone Schnall, Dr Ryan Doran, and Dr Jasmina Stevanov. Their interdisciplinary research investigates the cognitive and affective effects of aesthetic appreciation, exploring whether engagement with art and beauty can foster abstract thinking, encourage a broader perspective, and influence moral values and prosocial behaviour.

What's on

A triptych of three plant-themed paintings: the left shows large leaves, the center features a dark forest scene, and the right depicts vibrant, stylized foliage and flowers.

Art Exhibition: 'Life Within Landscapes'

05/10/2024 at 10.00

Explore Wolfson's newest exhibition, 'Life Within Landscapes', showcasing works by three Cambridge-based female contemporary artists, inspired by their Caribbean heritage.

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A person with shoulder-length curly hair, wearing a pink sweater, looks slightly upward with an open smile against a blue background.

Wolfson Howler with Dee Allum

07/10/2024 at 20.00

The Wolfson Howler is back, bringing you the best comedy Cambridge has to offer!

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A black-and-white photo showing a group of toddlers wrapped in striped towels, standing in a tiled room while being watched over by three smiling women in white uniforms.

Toddlers and the ‘Totalitarian’ State: Histories of Care in Socialist Dictatorships

15/10/2024 at 17.30

What can the history of crèches tell us about care and coercion in a socialist dictatorship?

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A person with long hair, wearing a black dress, holds a string instrument and smiles while standing in front of a window with stone walls in the background.

Music and Madeira: Doraly Gill

18/10/2024 at 18.30

A concert of beautiful music, including the Debussy Sonata and Bartok’s Romanian Dances, performed by cellist Doraly Gill.

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WolfWorks-Being Productive: Developing Time Management and Reflective Practice Skills

19/10/2024 at 10.00

Take some time out at the start of the academic year to get organised and plan your next steps. 

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