Vanessa Seifert
I am interested in exploring philosophical issues from the novel perspective of chemistry. I work on the relation between chemistry and quantum mechanics as well as on the nature of chemical bonds, chemical reactions and molecular structure. My undergraduate studies were in Chemical Engineering (National Technical University of Athens). I have an MSc in Philosophy of Science (LSE) and a PhD in Philosophy (University of Bristol). I am the recipient of a Marie-Sklodowska Curie postdoctoral fellowship, running the European Research Council Project CReaCaL ‘Chemical Reactions as Causes and Laws’ (grant no. 101064082 ) at the University of Athens.
Follow on Bluesky: @vanessaseifert.bsky.social
OpinionThe conceptual challenge of consumer safety
Understanding causation can motivate product improvements
OpinionWhat the smell of benzene tells us about the world
A philosophical discussion about how much we can trust our senses
OpinionHow feminist bioethics can improve women’s health
From correcting research imbalances to placing value on lived experiences
OpinionClassifications, racial discrimination and Covid-19
Lessons with philosophical significance for how we group people and objects
OpinionThe moral theories behind climate deadlock
Why is it so controversial to do the right thing for the environment?
OpinionDid AI just win the Nobel prizes in physics and chemistry?
The importance of the expert eye in scientific progress
OpinionHow much science should there be in philosophy?
A debate about metaphysics that’s crucial to how we understand the world
OpinionThere’s more to alchemy than its mystical nature
It was crucial to the development of chemistry
OpinionThe nuances of chemical confirmation
Supporting a hypothesis is more difficult than it might seem
OpinionThe rise of techno-science
Appreciating technology’s role in understanding how the world works
OpinionDo bond classifications help or hinder chemistry?
Ionic, covalent, metallic and more… but there’s debate about whether bonds are real at all
OpinionChemistry’s history through the feminist lens
Examining how science excludes women and other underrepresented groups
OpinionDoes the periodic table reveal laws of nature?
There could be more to learn from ordering the elements
