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

Influencing behind the scenes

Membership of the Academy of Finland’s Research Council for Culture and Society in 2010–15 has led me into numerous preparatory and steering groups within the Academy. These have included membership of FIRI, the Finnish Research Infrastructure Committee between 2013 and 2015, membership of the Centres of Excellence in Research working group, membership of the steering groups for the MIND, FinSynBio and Bioeconomy Academy research programmes and membership of the BioFuture 2015 preparatory group.

The Academy of Finland has also been a door into European academic associations and the increasing review and assessment of science. I was a member of the European Science Foundation’s Standing Committee for the Humanities and its Core Group from 2010–13 and the Foundation’s Scientific Review Group for the Humanities (ESF-SCH) from 2013–15. I have also been a member of Human, the humanities committee of the new Science Europe (Association of European Research Funding Organisations (RFO) and Research Performing Organisations (RPO)). Similarly, I am a member of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (Cost) ISCH (Individuals, Societies, Cultures and Health) domain committee, 2013–15

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–

By Written by Matti Sintonen (Tiia Niemelä ed.), translated by Matthew Billingto