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Matti Sintonen

Matti Tapani Sintonen
Born September 20, 1951, Kuusankoski

Baccalaureate, Huntington North High School, Indiana, USA 1969 and Kouvola Lyceum 1971
Master of Arts 1976, Licentiate 1977, PhD 1984 (theoretical philosophy), University of Helsinki
Master of Social Science 1979 (practical philosophy), University of Helsinki
Docent 1985– (practical philosophy), universities of Helsinki and Turku

Director 2014–,Department of Philosophy, History, Culture and Art Studies
Professor of theoretical philosophy (acting) 2004–14, University of Helsinki
Professor of philosophy (particularly the philosophy of science) 1991–2010, University of Tampere
Deputy director of the Department of Philosophy 2008–10, University of Helsinki
Professor of philosophy, particularly logic and the theory of knowledge (acting)2003–04, University of Tampere
Professor of practical philosophy (particularly the methodology of social sciences) 1984–86, 1990–92, 1996–2000, University of Helsinki
Advanced research fellow 2000–01, Senior research fellow 1984–89, research fellow 1982–84, Academy of Finland
Head of the Department of Practical Philosophy 1985, 1999–2000, University of Helsinki
Professor of theoretical philosophy (acting) 1989–90, University of Turku
Research associate in practical philosophy (particularly the methodology of social sciences) 1976–91, University of Helsinki
Visiting Fellow, University of Helsinki Clare Hall Fellowship 1997–98, Cambridge
Visiting Fellow 1993–94, Darwin College, Cambridge
Visiting Fellow 1983–84, 1997–98, Department of Philosophy and the Department of Philosophy and History, University of Cambridge
Visiting Research Associate, 1986–87, Boston Center for the Philosophy and History of Science, Boston UniversityFlorey Student 1977–79, Queen´s College Oxford

Research themes: the philosophy of science, particularly the problematic of scientific explanation and invention, the philosophy of biology, the philosophy of social sciences.

Publications, research projects and other academic activity

Editor, editor-in-chief, member of the editorial board in the following journals:

Ajatus, Science & Technology Studies, Behavioral and Brain Science, Synthese, Acta Philosophica Tamperensia, Polish Journal of Philosophy Theoria, European Journal for Philosophy of Science

Honours and awards:

ASLA Fulbright Senior Grant, Boston Center for the Philosophy and History of Science, Boston University, 1986–87
Chancellor’s special award for best Master’s thesis, granted in celebration of 35 years of the Faculty of Social Sciences, 1980
Best Master’s Thesis Award, Faculty of Arts 1975, Faculty of Social Sciences 1979
Member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters

Photo: Ida Pimenoff
Written by Matti Sintonen (Tiia Niemelä ed.)
Translated by Matthew Billington

Foundation life

A great deal of my activities to influence society has occurred through foundations. I have been a member of the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s Board of Directors since 2000 and was a member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees from 2004–09 and the chairman of the Board of Directors and vice-chairman if the Board of Trustees between 2006 and 2009. I remain a member of the Foundation’s supervisory board; similarly, I work on the management boards of the OP Pohjala Research Foundation and the Reader's Digest (Finland) Fund. In addition, I have been a member of the management board of the Pirkanmaa Regional Fund for several years.

Another rewarding foundation has been the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation, where I have been a board member since 2009, and for recent years its vice-chairman. I belong to its Working Committee and Finance Committee and I am chairman of its Scientific Committee.

My work in European academic associations and at the Academy of Finland has led to ever more review and assessment of science in Finland and abroad. I have been a referee at many universities (Most recently I assessed research at the University of Vaasa as the chairman of the University Panel) and in national academies (e.g. in Belgium, Romania, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Croatia and Portugal).

Membership of other associations and organisations:

  • Board member 1974–78, 1996–16, Philosophical Society of Finland
  • Member of the Finnish Committee of the International Association for Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science
  • Member of the Finnish Society for Science and Technology Studies 1989–99 and vice-chair 1992–97
  • Founding president of European Philosophy of Science Association (EPSA) 2006–07 and vice president 2013–15
  • Director of the Finnish Doctoral Programme of Philosophy 2004–05 and member of its executive committee 2004–10
  • Member of the executive committee of the Finnish Post-Graduate School in Science and Technology Studies (TITEKO)
  • Member of the board of the Graduate School in Future Business Competencies (TULIO)
  • Board member of Tampere’s Social Science Research Institute 1996–99
  • Member of the Steering Committee of the Modelling Changing Needs of Consumers (KULTA-MASIT16) project (joint project by Helsinki University of Technology, Helsinki University and National Consumer Research Centre) a part of the Modelling and Simulation Programme of Tekes – the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation, 2006-2009
  • Finnish representative in the Nordic Philosophy Graduate School, Representative of the University of Helsinki in the Finland Futures Academy (FFA), board member, 2005–
Foundation Day 2009. In the photo is also Graphic Designer Johannes Nieminen and Editorial Secretary Teppo Sillantaus.
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