Dr Stephan Guttinger

I am a philosopher of science with a background in biochemistry. My research focuses on knowledge-generation in the contemporary life sciences, with a particular focus on how scientists produce reliable and trustworthy data in different experimental settings. I am particularly interested in how automation is changing the way we do science.

I am also interested in the nature of molecules, defending the view that molecular complexes, such as viruses, are best understood as processes rather than "things" or substances. Such ontological claims, I argue, have relevance for ethical debates about how to respond to viral pandemics or how to approach new biotechnological tools such as genome editing.

Office hours (Term 1 24/25): 

Tuesdays 3pm-4pm; in person (Byrne House, F11)). To book a slot please use this link.

Thursdays 11am-noon via Zoom (No booking required. For the Zoom link please see the handbook for the modules I am teaching on ELE).

Personal website: www.guttinger.co.uk

Biography:

I was born and raised in Zurich, Switzerland. I studied biology at the ETH Zurich, where I also did my PhD and a post-doc in the lab of Ulrike Kutay in the Biochemistry Department. After almost a decade at the bench, I changed my field of research to philosophy of science. This new trajectory eventually led me to my current post at the University of Exeter. Before coming to Exeter I also worked as a guest teacher at the London School of Economics and as a Teaching Fellow in the Philosophy department at Durham University.