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Curriculum Vitae Curriculum Vitae 26 January 2012 Professor Alexander James BIRD Nationality British Address Department of Philosophy, The University of Bristol, 9 Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1TB tel: 0117 928 7826 email: [email protected] webpage: http://eis.bris.ac.uk/~plajb/index.html Career Current post Professor of Philosophy (since 08/2003) Department of Philosophy, and Faculty of Arts Research Director (since 01/2007) University of Bristol Previous post Head of Department of Philosophy (08/2005–07/2008) Previous employment 10/1993–07/2003 Department of Philosophy, University of Edinburgh Lecturer (10/1993–08/2002) Reader and Head of Department of Philosophy (08/2002–07/2003) 09/1991–09/1993 Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food Higher Executive Officer (Development), two senior posts covering plant health and the single European market, policy on non-food crops, and Common Agricultural Policy regimes. Branch Treasurer and Membership Secretary, and Fast-Stream Committee member, Association of First Division Civil Servants. Visiting posts • James Collins Visiting Professor, Saint Louis University (August–October 2011) • Visiting Scholar, Monash University (June–July 2009) • Visiting Scholar, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge (September–December 1999) • Visiting Professor, Dartmouth College, N.H. (June–August 1999) • Visiting Lecturer, Università degli Studi di Siena, Italy (January 1999) • Visiting Professor, Dartmouth College, N.H. (June–August 1997) • Visiting Lecturer, Università degli Studi di Siena, Italy (March 1997) • Visiting Professor, Dartmouth College, N.H. (September–December 1996) • Visiting Lecturer, Université de Caen Basse-Normandie, France (December 1995) • Visiting Professor, Dartmouth College, N.H. (June–September 1995) University education • King's College, Cambridge University 10/1988–09/1991 Department of History and Philosophy of Science. Ph.D. Thesis Arithmetic, Grammar, and Ontology, defending neo-logicism. Research topics: philosophy and history of mathematics; ontology; language; Wittgenstein. • St Edmund's College, Cambridge University 10/1987–09/1988 Department of History and Philosophy of Science. M.Phil. in History and Philosophy of Science. • Ludwig-Maximilians Universität and Stiftung Maximilianeum, Munich 10/1986–08/1987 Mathematics and Philosophy • St John's College, Oxford University 10/1983–07/1986 Physics and Philosophy (Hon Mods). Politics, Philosophy and Economics (B.A.). Academic awards, grants, and prizes (Totals: £928,895 as PI, £403,900 as Co-I, £14,400 in conference grants) • AHRC Fellowship “Scientific Knowledge” £48,257 (2011–12) • Grants for Conference “Progress in Medicine” £9,900 (2010) (Wellcome Trust £4,500, British Academy £2,150, Mind Association £2,000, British Society for the Philosophy of Science £750, Aristotelian Society £500). • Partner Investigator, “Neglected Problems of Time: Metaphysical and topological issues arising from the physics of time” (PI Toby Handfield, Monash University) Australian Research Council £192,000 (2009–11). • International Partner, “The Semantics and Metaphysics of Dispositions” (PI Sungho Choi, Kyung Hee University, Korea) National Research Foundation of Korea £101,900 (2009–11). • Principal Investigator, “Philosophy of quantum mechanics and the metaphysics of dispositional properties” (Co-Investigator Tomasz Bigaj, University of Warsaw) FP7 Marie Curie Programme £88,610 (2008–9). • Wellcome Trust Conference Grant “Concepts of Infection” £2,500 (2007). • Co-Investigator “Why “Why?”: Philosophical and methodological issues at the physics-biology interface”, (PI Prof. Wilson Poon, Physics, University of Edinburgh) Cambridge Templeton Consortium £110,000 (2007–9). • Principal Investigator, “Metaphysics of Science: causes, laws, kinds, and dispositions” £748,644 (Co- Investigators Helen Beebee, University of Birmingham, and Stephen Mumford, University of Nottingham; total project value £935,805) AHRC Research Project Grant (2006–10) (output rated ‘outstanding’). • Philosophical Quarterly essay prize £2,500 (2006). • Principal Investigator, “Applied Logic in the Methodology of Science” (Co-Investigator Hannes Leitgeb) European Science Foundation Exploratory Workshop £13,173 (2006). • Mind Association Major Conference Grant “Dispositions and Causes” £2,000 (2005). • Principal Investigator, British Academy Visiting Fellowship, £3,000, and, Partner Academy Joint Project, £2,000, (plus £2,000 from Australian Academy of the Humanities) “Powers that be: dispositions in a world of physical causes” (CI Toby Handfield) (2005). • AHRB Research Leave Scheme £14,013 (2005) (output rated ‘outstanding’). • Leverhulme Trust Fellowship £11,198 (1999–2000). • British Academy Major and Minor Awards (1987–90). • Stiftung Maximilianeum Scholarship, Munich (1986–87). • Thomas White Scholar (open scholarship), St John's College, Oxford (1983–86). • Queen's Scholar, Westminster School (1978–82). 2 Publications Please see attached list Teaching Areas of teaching specialism • metaphysics • epistemology • general philosophy of science • philosophy and history of medicine • philosophy of mathematics Areas of teaching competence • philosophy of the physical sciences • history of modern philosophy (esp. Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume) • Wittgenstein • formal and mathematical logic • philosophical logic and philosophy of language Teaching experience • ten years as lecturer/reader in philosophy, University of Edinburgh, and eight years as professor of philosophy, University of Bristol. • visiting lecturer or professor at the University of Caen, University of Siena (twice), Dartmouth College, U.S.A. (four times), Saint Louis University, U.S.A. • continuing education lectures at the Open University, University of Oxford, University of Bristol. • supervisor for the philosophy tripos and history and philosophy of science in the natural sciences tripos, University of Cambridge (three and a half years, while a graduate student). Graduate teaching • nine completed PhDs; six current PhD students. • MA/MSc courses in philosophy of science, epistemology, philosophy and history of medicine. Current internal administrative and other organisational responsibilities at Bristol • Research Director, Faculty of Arts. • University Research Committee. • Bristol Ethical Review Group (overseeing implementation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986). • University Review Panel (Professorial Salary Review). • Faculty of Arts Planning and Resources Committee. • Faculty of Arts Finance Sub-committee. • Faculty of Arts Research Committee (chair). 3 Past internal administrative and other organisational responsibilities University of Bristol • Head of Department of Philosophy (08/2005–07/2008). • Senate. • WUN (World Universities Network) Steering Group. • Director of Postgraduate Programmes, Department of Philosophy. • Chair of Research Committee, Department of Philosophy. • Faculty research and graduate committees. • University Information Services and Systems Committee. University of Edinburgh • Head of Department (previously Deputy Head of Department). • School of Philosophy, Psychology, and Linguistics Management Committee. • Member of Senatus. • Gifford Lectureship Committee. • Senior Tutor (with responsibility for all undergraduate teaching and curriculum issues). • Teaching Quality Assurance co-ordinator. • Director of Postgraduate Studies; creating the Department’s postgraduate information webpage. • Course organizer for Introduction to Philosophy, Philosophy of Science 1h. • Director of Studies. • Schools liaison officer and open day organizer. • Dartmouth exchange coordinator and acting Director of Studies for Dartmouth Students. • ERASMUS/SOCRATES coordinator. • Senatus representative on the Edinburgh University Students’ Association Committee of Management. • Faculty Curriculum Committee. • Edinburgh University Library Steering Group on Special Collections. Conferences and workshops organised • Progress in Medicine conference (13–15/04/2010) • AHRC Metaphysics of Science Workshop (29–31/03/2010) • Philosophy of Medicine workshop (28/10/2009) • AHRC Metaphysics of Science Workshop (03/09/2008) • Concepts of Infection conference (29–31/03/2007) • AHRC Metaphysics of Science Workshop on Natural Kinds (16/03/2007) • What is this Thing Called Science? Colloquium on the nature of science (8/12/2006) • European Science Foundation Exploratory Workshop in Applied Logic in the Methodology of Science (8–10/09/2006) • History and Philosophy of Mathematics Day (23/05/2006) • Dispositions and Causes workshop and conference (1–4/12/2005) • Lisbon Earthquake 250th anniversary conference (28–29/10/2005) • Metaphysics of Science (6–7/12/2002) • New Work on the Legacy of Thomas Kuhn (30/08/2002) • Dispositions (28–29/01/2000) • The Legacy of Empiricism (13–15/09/1996) 4 External academic activities and marks of peer esteem Service to the academic profession • Chair of the REF2014 Philosophy sub-panel (2010–) • British Philosophical Association, Women in Philosophy Committee (2010–). • Research Excellence Framework (REF) Expert Advisory Groups (2009). • AHRC Block Grant Partnership Moderating Panel (2007–8). • Philosophy sub-panel RAE2008 (2005–8). • AHRC Peer Review College member (2005–8). Major academic review responsibilities • College of reviewers for the Canada Research Chairs Program. • European Science Foundation pool of peer reviewers. • Independent referee, Royal Society of New Zealand (fellowship election). • Expert assessor, Swiss National
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