The Clayman Institute for Gender Research

Angela Potochnik is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Cincinnati. She holds a PhD in philosophy from Stanford University, and she works in the areas of philosophy of science and philosophy of biology. Professor Potochnik's research focuses on the methodology of population biology, especially evolutionary and behavioral ecology; the role of idealized models in biology and science more generally; and how gender and other social factors influence these aspects of science. She's also interested in related questions about the properties of scientific explanations and the relationships among different fields of science. Finally, she has an abiding interest in the history of logical empiricism, especially the work of Otto Neurath.

Professor Potochnik was a Faculty Research fellow at the Institute during the 2010-11 academic year.  During her fellowship, Potochnik explored the influence of social values on explanations that are formulated in science. This project grows out of existing research into (1) the contextual features of scientific explanations, and (2) current debates in behavioral ecology about the evolution of sex and gender traits.

Further information about Professor Potochnik is available from her website.