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Title: Dr. Job Title: Egenis Research Fellow Tel: 01392 269137 Fax: 01392 264676 Email: S.Leonelli@exeter.ac.uk Building: Byrne House Room Number: FF12
After graduating in the STS Department of University College London, I earned an MSc in History and Philosophy of Science at the London School of Economics. I then carried out my doctoral research as part of the project ‘Understanding Scientific Understanding’ based at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. From 2002 to 2007, I have served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Graduate Journal of Social Science. Before arriving in Exeter, I worked as a research officer in the Leverhulme/ESRC project ‘How Well Do ‘Facts’ Travel?’ based at the Department of Economic History of the London School of Economics.
My research focuses on the philosophy and sociology of cyberinfrastructure and bioinformatics, especially the rhetorics of 'data-driven research', its relation to practices of data handling online and experimentation in vivo, and the role of AI and automation in biological and biomedical research. I am particularly interested in experimental and modeling practices associated to model organism research, and it is in that context that I carry out most of my empirical work.
At Egenis I have four running projects: data-intensive research in the biological and biomedical sciences, philosophical issues in bioinformatics, history of Arabidopsis research, and the regulatory role of bioinformatics.
My work analyses the relations between regulatory and classificatory practices within contemporary biomedical science, with particular attention to the role played by bioinformatics in data sharing. From a sociological perspective, I compare and analyse the processes through which bioinformatic standards (such as bio-ontologies) are decided upon, institutionalised and used to govern human as well as non-human genomic research. I pay particular attention to the interactions between public funders, private companies, politicians and scientists throughout these processes. From a philosophical perspective, I am interested in the epistemological and ontological assumptions underlying the choice of taxonomies in bioinformatics. I believe that such assumptions play an important role in determining what counts as knowledge and as legitimate research objects within contemporary biology.
My research crosses over the fields of history and philosophy of biology, science and technology studies and general philosophy of science (in particular of science practices such as data sharing, abstraction, modelling and concept-formation). My PhD analysed the ways in which biologists manipulate and conceptualise model organisms to gain some understanding of biological phenomena, thus allowing me to combine a historical survey with a sociological analysis of this kind of ‘big science’ and a philosophical discussion of what it means to understand scientifically (especially when the term 'scientific' embraces so many different activities and epistemic cultures). Participation in the project ‘How Well Do ‘Facts’ Travel?’ enabled me to investigate what happens when small facts such as data circulate across research contexts and are used as evidence towards a variety of claims about phenomena. This awoke my interest in data sharing practices and in the role played by digital tools and standards in ‘packaging’ small facts for travel.
I continue to be interested in the epistemic status and the history of model organisms in plant biology. I am writing a monograph on the history of research on Arabidopsis thaliana, tentatively entitled The Virtual Plant.
Journal articles
Leonelli, S., ‘Documenting the Emergence of Bio-Ontologies: Or, Why Researching Bioinformatics Requires HPSSB.’ History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, 32, 2010, pp. 105-126.
Leonelli, S. and Howlett, P., ‘How Well Do ‘Facts’ Travel?’ Graduate Journal of Social Science, 6(2), 2009, pp 1–2. (editorial to special issue.)
Leonelli, S., ‘On the Locality of Data and Claims About Phenomena.’ Philosophy of Science 76 (5), 2009.
Leonelli, S., ‘Bio-Ontologies as Tools for Integration in Biology.’ Biological Theory, 3 (1), 2008, pp 8-11.
Leonelli, S., ‘Growing Weed, Producing Knowledge. A Epistemological History of Arabidopsis thaliana.’ History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, 29(2), 2007, pp 55-87.
Leonelli, S., ‘Arabidopsis, the Botanical Drosophila: From Mouse-Cress to Model Organism.’ Endeavour, 31(1), 2007, pp 34-38.
Leonelli, S., ‘Performing Abstraction. Two Ways of Modelling Arabidopsis thaliana.’ Biology and Philosophy, 23(4), 2008, pp 509-528.
Leonelli, S., ‘Naar een Open Dialoog Tussen de Wetenschap en de Wetenschapsstudies.’ Congresbespreking, Algemeen Nederland Tijdschrijft Wijsbegeerte, 99(3), 2007, pp 237-240.
Leonelli, S., ‘Forming Civic Consciousness: A Participant’s View on the European Social Forum.’ Re-Public: Re-Imagining Democracy, 2007.
Leonelli, S., ‘Pluralism and Normativity in Interdisciplinary Research.’ Graduate Journal of Social Science, 2 (1), 2005, pp i-vi.
Leonelli, S. and Reydon, T., ‘Philosophy of Biology in Flanders and the Netherlands.’ Acta Biotheoretica, 53 (2), 2005, pp 55-56.
Chang, H. and Leonelli, S., ‘Infrared Metaphysics: the Elusive Ontology of Radiation (Part 1).’ Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science: Part A, 36(3), 2005, pp 477-508.
Chang, H. and Leonelli, S., ‘Infrared Metaphysics: Theory-Choice and the Ontology of Radiation (Part 2).’ Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science: Part A, 36(4), 2005, pp 687-706.
Ortmann, S. and Leonelli, S., ‘Unity in Social Science?’ Graduate Journal of Social Science, 2(2), 2005, pp i-v.
Leonelli, S., ‘Introducing the GJSS: Why a Graduate Journal on Interdisciplinary Methodology?’ Graduate Journal of Social Science, 1(1), 2004, pp i-vii.
Edited Volume
de Regt, H., Leonelli, S. and Eigner, K. (eds.), Scientific Understanding: A Philosophical Perspective.’ 2009. Pittsburgh University Press.
Book Chapters
Leonelli, S., ‘Packaging Data for Re-Use: Databases in Model Organism Biology', in: Morgan, M. and Howlett, P. (eds.), How Well Do ‘Facts’ Travel? Forthcoming 2010. Cambridge University Press.
Leonelli, S., ‘The Commodification of Knowledge Exchange: Governing the Circulation of Biological Data.’ in: Radder, H. (ed.), The Commodification of Academic Research. Forthcoming 2010. Pittsburgh University Press.
De Regt, H., Leonelli, S., and Eigner, K. ‘Focusing on Scientific Understanding.’ in: de Regt, H. et al (eds.), Scientific Understanding: A Philosophical Perspective. 2009. Pittsburgh University Press.
Leonelli, S., ‘The Impure Nature of Biological Knowledge.’ in: de Regt, H. et al (eds.), Scientific Understanding: A Philosophical Perspective. 2009. Pittsburgh University Press.
Leonelli, S., ‘Centralising Labels to Distribute Data: The Regulatory Role of Genomic Consortia.’ in: Atkinson, P., Glasner, P. and Lock, M. (eds.) The Handbook for Genetics and Society: Mapping the New Genomic Era. 2009, pp. 469-485. Routledge, London.
Leonelli, S., ‘What is in a Model? Using Theoretical and Material Models to Develop Intelligible Theories.’ in: Laubichler, M. and Muller, G.B. (eds.), Modeling Biology. Structures, Behaviour, Evolution, 2007, Vienna Series, MIT Press.
Leonelli, S., ‘Cultivando Hierba, Produciendo conocimiento. Una historia epistemologica de Arabidopsis thaliana.’ in: Suarez, E. (ed.), Variedad Sin Limites. Las Rapresentaciones en la Ciencia, 2007, Universidad Autonoma de Mexico y Editor Limusa.
Working Papers
Leonelli, S., ‘Regulating Data Travel in the Life Sciences: The Impact of Commodification.’ LSE Working Papers on the Nature of Evidence: How Well Do ‘Facts’ Travel?, No. 27/08, 2008.
Leonelli, S., ‘Circulating Evidence Across Research Contexts: The Locality of Data and Claims in Model Organism Biology.’ LSE Working Papers on the Nature of Evidence: How Well Do ‘Facts’ Travel?, No. 25/08, 2008.
Leonelli, S., ‘Understanding Infrared Metaphysics: Melloni’s Quest for Identity.’ Measurement in Physics and Economics Discussion Paper Series, DP MEAS 22/02, ISSN1465-637X.
Proceedings
Leonelli, S., ‘The Role of Bio-Ontologies In Data-Driven Research: A Philosophical Perspective.’ 2009. Proceedings of the International Conference for Biomedical Ontologies.
Dissertation
Leonelli, S., ‘ Weed for Thought. Using Arabidopsis thaliana to Understand Plant Biology .’ PhD Dissertation, 2007, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
In Preparation
On the Role of Theory in Data-Driven Research: The Case of Bio-Ontologies
When Humans are the Exception: Cross-Species Data Mining.
(with Rachel Ankeny) Re-Thinking Organisms: The Epistemic Impact of Databases on Model Organism Biology.
(with Rachel Ankeny) What is so special about model organisms?
(with Ruth Bastow) Viable models for database funding: A review of available paths towards long-term sustainability for cyberinfrastructure
Issue-Based Scientific Governance: Cases of Self-Regulation in Genomic Research.
(special issue) Data-Driven Research in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences. Studies in the History and the Philosophy of the Biological and the Biomedical Sciences: Part C.
(monograph) The Virtual Plant. An Epistemic History of Arabidopsis thaliana.
Selected Recent Presentations
‘From Humble Weed to Botanical Drosophila’, History of Genetics Day, John Innes Centre, Norwich, 9 September 2009.
‘Issue-Based Scientific Governance’, EGN conference, Cardiff, 8 October 2009.
‘On the Role of Theory in Data-Driven Research: The Case of Bio-Ontologies’, Biannual Meeting of the European Philosophy of Science Association, Amsterdam, 23 October 2009.
‘Dynamic (Bio)Ontologies for Good Epistemology’, History and Philosophy of Science Seminar, Cambridge, 19 November 2009.
‘Documenting the Emergence of the Gene Ontology: An HPSS Approach’, at workshop ‘Web Semantics in Action: Web 3.0 in e-Science’, within 5th IEEE International Conference on e-Science, Oxford, 11 December 2009.
‘Bioinformatics and biology in the 21st century’, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, 4 February 2010.
‘When Humans Are the Exception: Cyberinfrastructure Across Species’, 2010 Gordon Cain Conference ‘Personalized medicine here and now: Empirical studies of post-genomic medicine’, Chemical Heritage Foundation, Philadelphia, 5-6 May 2010.
‘Experimental Biology In Silico’, International Workshop Understanding and the Aims of Science, Lorentz Centre, University of Leiden, June 2010.
Panel on e-social science at ESRC National Research Methods Festival, Oxford, July 7 2010.
‘Understanding Data in the Digital Age’, ESF Conference ‘Points of Contact Between Philosophy of Biology and Philosophy of Physics’, London School of Economics, December 2010.
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