Jan-Willem Romeijn
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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.
Last updated
23 May 2023