Michela Massimi
Professor

- Philosophy
- School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences
Contact details
- Tel: 0131 650 3662
- Email: Michela.Massimi@ed.ac.uk
- Web: https://www.michelamassimi.com/
Address
- Street
-
Room 5.03, Dugald Stewart Building
- City
- 3 Charles Street, Edinburgh
- Post code
- EH8 9AD
Background
Michela Massimi joined Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh in July 2012, where she is currently leading the Research Cluster in Philosophy of Science. Before joining Edinburgh, Michela taught for seven years at UCL in the Dept. of Science and Technology Studies. She completed her PhD at the LSE in 2002, and in 2002-2005 she was Junior Research Fellow at Girton College, University of Cambridge. Michela is the recipient of the Royal Society 2017 Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Medal Lecture for her interdisciplinary interests in and communication of philosophy and science. In 2018 Michela was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and in 2019 Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and Member of the Academia Europaea. Michela was Co-Editor in Chief of "The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science" (2011-2016), and Vice President of the European Philosophy of Science Association (2015-2019). She is currently President-Elect of the Philosophy of Science Association (PSA) with her two-year presidency coming up in 2023-24. For her research profile, cv, and up-to-date list of publications, see her personal webpage above.
Books
- Perspectival Realism (monograph), under contract with Oxford University Press (expected publication in 2021)
- Knowledge from a Human Point of View (co-edited with Ana-Maria Cretu), Springer Synthese Library, Open Access: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-030-27041-4#toc
- Understanding Perspectivism. Scientific Challenges and Methodological Prospects (co-edited with Casey D. McCoy, Routledge Open Access 2019): https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781315145198
- Kant and the Laws of Nature (co-edited with Angela Breitenbach CUP 2017)
- Pauli’s Exclusion Principle (CUP 2005)
- Kant and Philosophy of Science Today (edited, CUP 2008)
- Philosophy and the Sciences for Everyone (edited, Routledge, 2014)
Responsibilities & affiliations
- Incoming PPLS School Research Director (from Jan. 2021)
- Research Cluster in Philosophy of Science
- Project Leader and Convenor for the Philosophy and the Sciences MOOC
- (please note that Prof Massimi is currently on research leave until December 2020 to deliver on her ERC Consolidator grant Perspectival Realism).
Undergraduate teaching
Michela has organised and taught the following courses at Edinburgh:
- Philosophy of Science Online MSc (Jan. 2021, semester 2)
- Advanced Topics in Philosophy of Science
- Science, Nature and Social Values
- Realism, Relativism and Reality
- Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Science
- Philosophy of Science I (1st year undergraduate course)
- Please note that Prof Massimi is on resarch leave until December 2020 because of her ERC grant on Perspectival Realism.
Office hours:
- By appointment only during sabbatical leave.
Current PhD students supervised
- Franklin Jacoby (Lead) - completed in 2019
- Nicholas Rebol (Lead) - completed in 2019
- Lorenzo Spagnesi (Lead)
- Sander Klaasse (School of Divinity) - completed in 2019
Past PhD students supervised
Laura Jimenez (Lead) - completed in 2019
Ana-Maria Cretu (Lead supervisor) - completed in 2018
Anna Ortin Nadal (second supervisor) - completed in 2018
Andrea Polonioli (co-supervisor) - completed in 2016
Research summary
Philosophy of Science, History of Philosophy, Kant
For an up-to-date CV, list of publications and links to pre-prints of articles, please consult Prof Massimi's personal website: https://www.michelamassimi.com/
Knowledge exchange
For a full list of past and present KE events, please consult Prof. Massimi's personal website: https://www.michelamassimi.com/
Affiliated research centres
Current project grants
Prof Massimi is currently the Principal Investigator of an ERC Consolidator Grant "Perspectival Realism. Science, knowledge and truth from a human vantage point", 2016-2020 (€1.6 million).
For the activities of the project and relevant details please see: www.perspectivalrealism.org
Past project grants
Prof Massimi was the Principal Investigator of a Leverhulme Trust International Network "Kant and the Laws of Nature" (2012-2015).
For the activities of the project and relevant info, please see: www.kantandlaws.wordpress.com