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.

Poster (3MB PDF)
 
Project details
 
75sec video

News

For real-time news updates, please join our LinkedIn group by sending a request.

Award to Paola Castaño: The panel "Ecologies of Life in Space," organized by Paola Castaño with participation from Ilenia Picardi, Marco Serino, Monica Truninger, and Kärin Nickelsen, was awarded the 2025 Interdisciplinary Organized Session Prize at the International Society for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Biology conference in Porto in July 2025. The panel was recognized for its combination of multiple disciplines and methodologies, with special incorporation of the history and social studies of biology.

Award to Elis Jones: At the 2025 International Society for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Biology (ISHPSSB) meeting, TUM researcher Elis Jones was jointly awarded the society's "Callebaut Prize." The Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Recognition Research supports the prize, in honour of philosopher Werner Callebaut, and is allocated by the ISHPSSB awards committee. It recognizes, for early-career scholars, "the best manuscript utilizing an interdisciplinary approach based on a presentation at one of the two previous ISHPSSB meetings." Elis's paper, presented at the Toronto 2023 meeting, is titled "Exploring the socio-ecology of science: the case of coral reefs," and is published as part of a special issue on the nature of research environments. It uses data from interviews with coral scientists, alongside ideas from ecology, philosophy, and STS, to argue that coral science is heavily shaped by, and in turn shapes, the ecological systems it is embedded within. The prize was shared with Richard Vangino for his paper "Analogical Anatomy: Neurons, Networks and the Electric Telegraph."

From 27–30 August 2025, we gathered in sunny Groningen, Netherlands, for the European Philosophy of Science Association (EPSA). Our symposium, "The Role of Philosophy of Science in Public," highlighted ethical and political issues concerning science, and we discussed the social responsibilities of the philosophy of science in shaping public policy. Richard Williams looked at how philosophers and policymakers may work together effectively and fairly. Sabina Leonelli discussed how an Environmental Intelligence framework can help elevate long-term social and environmental goals in technological development, which is currently dominated by short-term goals of convenience and efficiency. Katherine Furman explored how philosophers can help scientists clarify the targets of their research in astrobiology and public health. Rachel Ankeny’s commentary foregrounded the need for realistic views on politics and how trustworthy institutions and practices are needed to facilitate public trust in science. In a separate symposium on data modelling and evidence, Emma Cavazzoni and Sabina Leonelli explored how data models for applied research can help to contribute towards theoretical frameworks.

Frontiers in Open Research Colloquium: The interdisciplinary colloquium led by Sabina Leonelli, launched on Thursday, 24 April 2025, brought together scholars and practitioners for engaging discussions on Open Research, research cultures, and systemic challenges across the life sciences, data science, and AI. Each session featured expert talks and insights from recent research, fostering rich interdisciplinary exchange.

The Global Metascience Conference took place in London from 30 June to 2 July 2025, and is organised by Research on Research (RoRI) at University College London. Sabina Leonelli joined a distinguished lineup of speakers, including Maria Leptin, President of the European Research Council; Patrick Vallance, UK Minister of Science and Innovation; and Anna Koivuniemi, Head of Google DeepMind Impact Accelerator, to discuss the role of AI in science. She participated in two sessions, sharing insights from her work with the multidisciplinary Ethical Data Initiative and her Philosophy of Open Science project (Phil_OS). She also referenced her contribution to the 2024 Royal Society study on Science in the Age of AI. Her sessions included:

  • The plenary discussion titled “AI in Science: Accelerating Discovery,” where she addressed risks such as conservatism and the tendency to prefer convenience in current AI research developments.
  • The session “Funding by Algorithm: AI as Object and Enabler of Research,” where she offered a philosopher’s perspective on how AI and digital technologies are transforming science, along with the policy and funding challenges they present.
Older news

Events

"Frontiers in Philosophy and History of Science and Technology" - Research Colloquium | Winter Semester 2025. We are delighted to announce the launch of the interdisciplinary colloquium led by Sabina Leonelli. Beginning on Tuesday, 09 October 2025, the weekly hybrid seminar (Tuesdays, 15:00–17:15 CET) will feature cutting-edge research in the philosophy and history of science and technology. A different guest speaker presents work in progress in the first hour of each week. The emphasis tends to be on the biological, biomedical, and environmental sciences, data science and AI, and questions of epistemology, ethics, and political economy. Please register by 24 October 2025 by sending an email to desantilahysa@tum.de.

Location: Augustenstrasse 40 (3rd-floor seminar room) and via Zoom (link is available upon registration).

Agenda: You may check the weekly content in the following LINK

26-27 November 2025, Munich: "Democratic Remedies for Disinformation and Distrust: Can Open Science Help?" workshop will explore the nuanced relationship between fast science and open science; how open science may contribute to fast science, and how open science may help to counteract it. The workshop format will combine theoretical discussion and prototyping of possible solutions using design thinking methodology. On the first day, a panel will explore the abovementioned themes to tune in to the problem. It will then brainstorm a long list of possible solutions, define their beneficiaries, the area of intervention, and the resources needed, and collectively decide which to tackle. On day two, we will dive deeper into the design of the selected prototypes. Given this format, we can accept only a limited number of theoretical contributions (still, feel free to get in contact if you want to participate in the panel).

Important Dates: 26 November noon till 27 November 2025, around 5 p.m.

Location: Augustenstraße 40, 80333 Munich, 1. Floor, Room: F 1.11.

Program: Please check the following LINK

19-21 November 2025: The Open World Conference. Leonelli will keynote the Niels Bohr Open World Conference in Copenhagen, with a talk on ”Openness and the Scope of Data-Intensive Research”.

Emma Cavazzoni is organizing, in collaboration with Costanza Coloni (University of Cambridge), the "Philosophy of Science in Practice – in practice" workshop taking place online on 14 October 2025, from 13:50 to 18:45 (CEST). This event gathers leading scholars in philosophy of science who will offer hands-on insights into applying qualitative methods within philosophical research. If you are interested in attending, please register via this link. Registered participants will receive the abstracts and the Zoom link ahead of the workshop. For more information on the workshop content and agenda, please check the PROGRAM.

27 August 2025: Italian Society for Analytic Philosophy. Leonelli keynoted the biennial meeting of the Italian Society for Analytic Philosophy (SIFA 2025) in Torino.

An international workshop, titled "Empirical Methods for a Social Epistemology of Interdisciplinary Research," was held on 28 July 2025 at TUM. Organized by the Chair of Philosophy and History of Science and Technology, the workshop brought together members of the SoPP and the PHIL_OS projects to discuss the use of empirical methods, and particularly qualitative social science methods, to foster philosophical investigation of interdisciplinary research practices. Check the Program for more information.

20-25 July 2025, Porto (Portugal): Conference of the International Society for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Biology. The full team of the Chair in Philosophy and History of Science attended the Biennial Conference of the International Society for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Biology in Porto. We submitted 6 symposia and participated in an additional 3! Check the Program for more information on the sessions and participants.

24-27 June 2025: Philosophy of technology. Leonelli keynoted the Biennial Conference of the Society for the Philosophy of Technology 2024, University of Eindhoven, June 24-27, with a talk on “Environmental Intelligence: Subverting the Philosophical Premises for AI”https://spt2025.dryfta.com/index.php

17-19 June 2025, Taipei: First Conference of the Asia-Pacific Philosophy of Science Association. Leonelli keynoted the Asia-Pacific Philosophy of Science Association 2025 Biannual Conference in association with the Taiwan Association for Logic, Methodology, Philosophy of Science and Technology (APPSA 2025), Taipei, Taiwan: https://appsa2025taiwan.mystrikingly.com/

More events

Project meetings

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

Details