I gained my PhD at SOAS University of London in an intertextual study of early Hindu and Buddhist works in Sanskrit describing mind-body philosophies. After a post as Senior Teaching Fellow at SOAS, I taught at the University of Roehampton as lecturer in Asian religions and ethics, before joining King’s College London. I am a co-editor at the Religions of South Asia journal.

Research interests and PhD supervision

• Hindu and Buddhist mind-body philosophies
• Sanskrit philosophical and religious texts
• Plant ontology
• Health humanities
• Ethics
• Theory and method in the study of religion

Currently supervising:

'The Form of the Void: Somatic Experience and the Apophatic Body in South Asian Contemplative Traditions'

'Buddhist Āyurvedic Therapy (BĀT) for Health Promotion: Intervention Development Study'

'Loss of Inner speech in Long-term Meditators and its Significance for Science and Practice'

'Ecofeminism in the eyes of Kannagi and the Goddess traditions of Hinduism'

I research early South and Central Asian Sanskrit texts and culture on meditation, philosophy of mind, and mind-body practices – in particular exploring the interconnections of Hinduism and Buddhism. More broadly, my research interests are Indian religion and philosophy, theory and method in the study of religion, global philosophies, critical theory of religion, decolonial thought, literary studies and the health humanities.

Teaching

My teaching is interdisciplinary and combines study of religion, philosophy of religion and ethics. I teach on both historical and contemporary topics in Asian traditions and their global expressions. I also lecture on the more theoretical aspects of study of religion.

Expertise and public engagement

''In Our Time' BBC Radio 4, Episode: 'Karma' (2024)

Co-Chair Indian and Chinese Religions in Dialogue research unit at the American Academy of Religion 2020-25

Selected publications

• O'Brien-Kop K. (2025) 'Health Beliefs and Embodied Rationalities: A Pluriversal Philosophy of Lived Religion' in O’Brien-Kop, K. and Newcombe, S. (eds) Religion, Spirituality and Public Health: Competing and Complementary Epistemes. Series: Proceedings of the British Academy (Liverpool University Press, Open Access)
• O’Brien-Kop, K. (2024) ‘Ethical Causality and Rebirth in the Pātañjalayogaśāstra and Abhidharmakośabhāṣya: A Mirrored Argument’ Journal of Indian Philosophy.
• O’Brien-Kop, K. (2024) ‘Defining Body and Mind: Yoga, Asceticism and Meditation’ in Sathaye, Adheesh (Ed.) A Cultural History of Hinduism in the Classical Age 200BCE-800CE. Bloomsbury Academic: London.
• O'Brien- Kop, K., Rippa, A., & Ren, X. (2024). 'Cultural Mobilities and Cultural Heritage: Concepts for an Asia-Centric Approach' Journal of the British Academy, 12. DOI: 10.5871/jba/012.a12
• O'Brien-Kop, K. (2023) 'Mobilities in Religious Knowledge: Phiroz Mehta and the Logics of Transreligiosity in 1970s–80s South London' in Religions, 14(7), 907
• O'Brien-Kop, K. (2023) 'The Hard Problem of "Pure" Consciousness: Sāṃkhya Ontological Dualism' in Religious Studies: An International Journal for the Philosophy of Religion' 1-17. doi:10.1017/S0034412523000410

Teaching

My teaching is interdisciplinary and combines study of religion, philosophy of religion and ethics. I teach on both historical and contemporary topics in Asian traditions and their global expressions. I also teach on the more theoretical aspects of study of religion, with an emphasis on critical theory and decolonial theory.

Expertise and public engagement

'In Our Time' BBC Radio 4, Episode: 'Karma' (2024):https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0020966

 

Bluesky: drobrienkop.bsky.social