Centre for History and Philosophy of Science

Our research embraces many aspects of the history of science, technology, and medicine, from the 17th century to the present day

Centre for History and Philosophy of Science

We are one of the foremost academic units for the subject in Britain, with nine permanent and several fixed-term staff, and a large and international body of postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers. Newcomers are always welcome, and quickly come to appreciate the combination of scholarly seriousness and collegial friendliness, along with the library, archival and object collections that support our teaching and research.

The Director of the Centre is Dr Michael Finn.

Our research

The Centre encompasses a vigorous research culture, in which both individual and collaborative projects are supported by a strong spirit of collegiality. Particularly distinctive of Leeds is the close interaction between historical and philosophical scholarship, which yields valuable critical and historiographical insights.

Research embraces many aspects of the history of science, technology, and medicine, from the 17th century to the present day. The Centre is also at the forefront of current research in the philosophy of science, including structural realism, the nature and role of models in science, the nature of scientific representation, and integrated HPS. The Centre for HPS regularly secures external funding for research projects.

Museum of the History of Science, Technology and Medicine

Our rich collections provide exciting opportunities for your research, and for developing the skills valued in the museum world and more generally in the workplace.

Seminar series

Our fortnightly seminars are held during term-time and both staff and students are welcome and encouraged to attend.

History of the Centre

Formally, Leeds HPS dates back to 1957, when a local philanthropist, Bernard Gillinson, donated funds to establish a new academic unit.

Study with us

A wide range of history and philosophy of science modules and teaching are available at every level of undergraduate and Masters degrees.

We host a large postgraduate community and offer teaching in many mainstream research areas as well as in important specialist topics. We teach on two taught postgraduate degrees:

Our graduates have gone on to careers in various organisations, inside and out of academia, in the UK and across the world.

@hpsLeeds

“RT @KingTekkers: Just ten days left to apply for this fascinating #PhD project on the BSE crisis at @UniversityLeeds and… t.co/BAEdawafgZ” -

“Recent PhD graduate @richardtbellis and staff member @KingTekkers explore some amazing historical manuscript recipe… t.co/iZmPDdDKoj” -

“RT @LeedsPRHS: We are recruiting for a Teaching Fellow in the History of Science and Medicine, please RT/share if you can - deadli… t.co/ILYtjbktXG” -

Centre for History and Philosophy of Science