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Overview

Professor Robin Hendry

Professor/ Co-Director of CHESS / On research leave


Affiliations
Affiliation
Professor/ Co-Director of CHESS / On research leave in the Department of Philosophy

Biography

I graduated with a BSc in Chemistry and the Philosophy of Science from King's College London and the LSE, in 1989. Foundational problems in quantum chemistry prompted me to sign up for a PhD in Philosophy at the LSE, though my thesis, when completed in late 1993, was entitled 'Realism, history and the quantum theory'. It mostly concerned Imre Lakatos' views on methodology, the historical development of quantum theory, and scientific realism. My first lectureship was at the University of Edinburgh (January-September 1994), after which I came to Durham in October 1994. Since then I have worked on scientific realism, modeling in the physical sciences, and the history and philosophy of chemistry and its relationship to physics.

My areas of research include: philosophical issues in chemistry such as the nature of chemical substances, molecular structure and the chemical bond; and general metaphysical issues in science such as unity and natural kinds. For a list of publications and works in progress see my personal research page.

Robin Hendry CV

Recent Grants and Awards
  • 2013-16: The Durham Emergence Project (John Templeton Foundation)
    Three-year interdisciplinary research initiative across philosophy of science, philosophy of mind and condensed matter physics, involving postdoctoral fellowships, PhD studentships, a research funding competition, two summer schools and a final conference. (Co-Investigators Professor E.J. Lowe, Professor T. McLeish). For further details see http://www.dur.ac.uk/emergence/.
  • 2014: (As co-investigator, PI Sophie Gibb) 'Emergence: Where is the Evidence?'
    Research Networking Scheme, Arts and Humanities Research Council.
  • 2012: 'Structure in Chemistry: A Preliminary Investigation'
    Exploratory Award, Arts and Humanities Research Council. For further details see http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/documents/case-studies/structure-in-chemistry-a-preliminary-investigation.
  • 2009: Fellowship under the theme of 'Water'
    Institute of Advanced Study, Durham University
  • 2005: 'The Metaphysics of Chemistry'
    Research Leave Scheme, Arts & Humanities Research Council
  • 2003-4: 'The Metaphysics of Chemistry'
    Research Fellowship, Leverhulme Trust
Works in Progress
  • With my Durham colleagues Sophie Gibb and Tom Lancaster I am currently editing a Handbook of Emergence for Routledge. For a number of years I have also been completing a monograph entitled The Metaphysics of Chemistry.
  • Books apart, my research covers all aspects of the history and philosophy of chemistry and its relationship to physics. I am currently writing papers on the historical development of theories of structure in chemistry, and on whether molecular structure can be considered to be emergent.
Research Interests
  • History and philosophy of chemistry and its relationship to physics
  • The relationship between history and philosophy of science
Research supervision
  • I have supervised a range of PhD research projects in the philosophy of science and epistemology. I would especially welcome enquiries from students wishing to pursue postgraduate research on foundational and historical topics in chemistry and other physical sciences.
Postgraduate teaching
  • Philosophical Issues in Science and Medicine
Undergraduate teaching modules
Administrative duties
  • Director of Research in the Department of Philosophy

Research interests

  • History and philosophy of chemistry and its relationship to physics
  • The relationship between history and philosophy of science

Publications

Chapter in book

Conference Paper

Edited book

Journal Article

Supervision students