A Philosophy of Open Science for Diverse Research Environments

The Open Science Studies group is engaged in research, education and policy interventions to foster responsible, sustainable and socially engaged research and innovation around the globe. We are strongly committed to help bridge the gaps between social and academic life to foster planetary health, and particularly to ensure that research carried out by public institutions serves the needs of human communities and their ecosystems.

At the core of the Open Science Studies group is the PHIL_OS project (“A Philosophy of Open Science for Diverse Research Environments”, 2021–2026). PHIL_OS aims to develop an empirically grounded philosophy of open science that emphasises the diversity of research environments around the world and articulates the conditions under which open science can leverage such diversity to promote good research practice.

We are based in Munich, around the Chair of Philosophy and History of Science and Technology at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), where we are actively involved in developing the Public Science Lab and the Ethical Data Initiative (EDI); and in Exeter, at the Exeter Centre for the Study of the Life Sciences of the University of Exeter (UK), where this work started back in the 2010s.

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News

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Upcoming PhD Defense-Emma Cavazzoni: Many congratulations to Emma Cavazzoni, who will defend her doctoral dissertation, Data Bearing Fruit: Technologies, Communities, and Models in Pest-Plant Interaction Research, on 6 July 2026 at the TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology in Munich. The dissertation was supervised by Prof. Sabina Leonelli, with Prof. Anne Rademacher serving as chair of the examination committee. External examiners are Prof. Wybo Houkes and Prof. Rachel Ankeny. The defense will be held in English and is open to in-person and online attendees, using this LINK.

Visiting Professorship at the University of Milan: Sabina Leonelli was awarded a Visiting Professorship by the Department of Philosophy at the University of Milan (UNIMI) for a research stay in February–March 2026. During her visit, she collaborated with colleagues at UNIMI and contributed to the department's research and academic activities through seminars and lectures.

2025 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): Sabina Leonelli has been elected a Fellow of the AAAS in Section L (History and Philosophy of Science). The fellowship recognizes her outstanding contributions to the philosophy of science, particularly her research on data-intensive science, open science, and the governance of scientific knowledge. The 2025 class of AAAS Fellows was announced in March 2026. View the full list of 2025 Fellows here.

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Events

4-6 May 2026: The FOR2026 Conference, The Future of Open Research: Reliable, Responsible, Equitable, took place at the Technical University of Munich in Garching. Organized within the framework of A Philosophy of Open Science for Diverse Research Environments, the conference brought together researchers, policymakers, infrastructure providers, and practitioners from around the world to discuss current developments and future directions in open research. The program featured plenary lectures, thematic sessions, poster presentations, and working groups addressing topics such as research infrastructures, data sharing and management, scholarly communication, participation and engagement, research assessment, equity, and responsible open science. A central outcome of the conference was the collaborative discussion of the Munich Declaration for Equitable Open Research. More information about the conference is available here: FOR2026 Conference

19 March 2026-Seminar with Gregory Radick. It was a pleasure to organize the hybrid seminar by Gregory Radick, Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Leeds. The seminar titled "The Organization of Scientific Knowledge" took place at the Deutsches Museum on 19 March between 16:00 and 18:00 (CET), and it was jointly organized by the TUM-Chair of Philosophy and History of Science and Technology, the LMU-Chair of History of Science, and the Deutsches Museum. You may refer to the Flyer for more information on the event.

4–6 March 2026: Epistemic Harms Workshop-Retreat at Raitenhaslach Monastery. Scholars from across Europe gathered for the Epistemic Harms Workshop, organized and sponsored by the Chair of Philosophy and History of Science at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Hosted at the Cistercian Monastery of Raitenhaslach, the retreat explored how knowledge practices can cause, perpetuate, or mitigate harm across different domains. The program opened with introductions by Sabina Leonelli, Rena Alcalay, and Ian Kidd, followed by sessions on the nature of harm, the environment, medicine, and artificial intelligence. Highlights included presentations on epistemic injustice, data-intensive healthcare, and the ethical dimensions of AI. Through discussions, collaborative exercises, and reflective activities, participants refined shared approaches to understanding harm and responsibility in research and society.

"Frontiers in Philosophy and History of Science and Technology" - Research Colloquium | Winter Semester 2025. The interdisciplinary colloquium, led by Sabina Leonelli, commenced every Tuesday during the Winter Semester of 2025 at TUM, starting on 9 October 2025. The weekly hybrid seminar (Tuesdays, 15:00–17:15 CET) featured cutting-edge research in the philosophy and history of science and technology. A different guest speaker presented work in progress in the first hour of each week. The emphasis was on the biological, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as data science and AI, and questions of epistemology, ethics, and political economy. Location: Augustenstrasse 40 (3rd-floor seminar room) and via Zoom. Agenda: You may check the weekly content in the following LINK

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Project meetings

The project has monthly meetings open to collaborators around the world.

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