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About me
I am a professor of philosophy of science at the Faculty
of Philosophy of the University of Groningen in the
Netherlands.
Research
My research revolves around probability theory and
scientific method. Topics of specific interest are
statistical inference, inductive logic, formal and
social epistemology, and causal and probabilistic
modelling. I have an interest in general philosophy of
science, but most of my work work relates to
methodological problems in specific sciences, in
particular psychiatry. I collaborate with a wide
variety of disciplines in the humanities and the
exact, social and medical sciences, and I provide
advice on uncertain reasoning and social deliberation
in judicial and policy contexts.
News
Some recent and newsworthy facts:
- In February of this year I started a Vici-project
entitled "Gold Rush in the Data Mine", on the use of
data science methods in psychopathology and beyond. A
project page is in the making.
- Stefan Sleeuw defended his PhD thesis on March 1st. We held a wonderful workshop in honour of his defense.
- I was interviewed for the Dutch Filosofie
Magazine about innovativeness in science. Here
is the text of the interview, in Dutch.
Short biography
I studied at Utrecht University, where I graduated cum
laude in both physics and philosophy. After that I
worked as a financial consultant for two years. From
2000 to 2004 I worked on a doctorate in philosophy at
the University of Groningen, for which I graduated cum
laude in 2005. The first two years after that I
lectured in philosophy of science and statistics at
the Psychology Department of the University of
Amsterdam. Until 2009 I carried out a research project
on the intersection of cognitive psychology and
philosophy of science in the University of Groningen.
Between 2011 and 2016 I worked on a research project
concerning single-case chance and statistics,
alongside a role as lecturer and head of department.
From 2020 until 2022 I served as dean of the Faculty
of Philosophy. More information can be found in my CV and in my list
of publications, presentations, and outreach.
Links
Selected links that once were news:
- The local newspaper Dagblad van het
Noorden interviewed me about academic
freedom, in connection to a case of
questionable teaching practices in our
university. You can find the article in
Dutch here.
- In 2020 I was interviewed
for a podcast
by Business News Radio on deploying the
wisdom of the crowd in decision making.
- I was elected a member of the Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen in 2018.
- My research was featured on the university web page in April 2018. Notice the picture of the unicorn at the bottom of the page.
- In november 2018 I was interviewed for national radio, for an item on statistical inference in science. A stub for the interview can be found here.
- The department of Theoretical Philosophy hosted the Formal Epistemology Workshop in June 2016. Take a look at our wonderful conference poster!
- Between 2011 and 2016 I ran a VIDI project with funding from the Netherlands Organization of Scientific Research (NWO) for a research project on single-case chance. Have a look at the page of the project for a brief description.
- Back in 2012 the Faculty of Philosophy in Groningen hosted a conference on the Frontiers of Rationality and Decision. The website of the conference and the associated research network can be found here.
- In 2009 I hosted a conference in the Progic conference series. Have a look at the conference site.
23 May 2023