Federico Boem, PhD.
Institut für Philosophie I
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Universitätsstr. 150
44801 Bochum
GA 7/55
website
https://www.pe.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/philosophie/i/wtundwg/team/boem.html.de
E-mail:
federico.boem@rub.de
federico.boem@gmail.com
AREAS OF SPECIALISATION
Metascience, Philosophy of the Life Sciences, Philosophy of Scientific Practice
AREAS OF COMPETENCE
Philosophy of Science, Logic, Bioethics, Epistemology, History of Science, STS
EMPLOYMENT
2024 - current - Ruhr Universität Bochum
Researcher
Institut für Philosophie I
2021 - 2024 - University of Twente
Researcher
Philosophy Section
2020 - 2021 - University of Florence
Postdoc
Department of Literature and Philosophy
2019 - 2020 - University of Turin
Postdoc
Department of Philosophy and Education
2018 - 2019 - Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Visiting Fellow
MCMP
2018 - King’s College London
Visiting Lecturer of Ethics and Politics of Science and Technology
Department of Philosophy
2016 - 2020 - University of Milan
Adjunct Lecturer
Department of Oncology and Haemato-oncology
2019 - 2021 - University of Verona
Adjunct Lecturer
School of Medicine and Surgery
EDUCATION
2015 - European School of Molecular Medicine/University of Milan
PhD in Foundations of the Life Sciences and Their Ethical Consequences
Committee: Federica Russo, Thomas Vaccari
Dissertation: “A Matter of Style. How Map-Thinking and Bio-ontologies shape contemporary Molecular Research.”
2011 - University of Exeter
MA in History and Philosophy of Biology
Thesis chair: Sabina Leonelli
MA thesis: “The Relationship between Biological Collections and Experimental Dimension in the Practice and Epistemology of 20th Century Biology.”
2010 - University of Florence
Laurea in Logic and Philosophy of Science
Committee: Marcello Buiatti, Elena Castellani
Thesis: “Ascesa e caduta del Dogma Centrale della Biologia Molecolare” (tr. The Rise and Fall of Central Dogma of Molecular Biology).
FURTHER EDUCATION
2020 - London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and UK Public Health Rapid Support Team
Certificate of Achievement
COVID-19: TACKLING THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS
PUBLICATIONS
PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS
2024
Lamminpää I, Boem F, Amedei A, Pro-health worms? Prospects and pitfalls of helminth therapy, BioEssays, (2024).
Rost Videla NC, Said M, Gharib M, Lévy R, Boem F. Better nanoscience through open, collaborative, and critical discussions. Materials Horizons (2024).
Boem, F., & Suárez, J. Epistemic misalignments in microbiome research. BioEssays, Article 2300220. (2024)
2023
Boem, F., Greslehner, G. P., Chiu, L., & Konsman, J-P. Minding the gut: extending embodied cognition and perception to the gut complex, Frontiers of Neuroscience, Volume 17 - 2023 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1172783 (2023)
Boem, F., & Paiusco, E. A philosophical outing to Dutch Design Week. Journal of Human-Technology Relations, 1. (2023)
Boem, F., Bonzio, S., Osimani, B., & Sacco, A. The Cochrane Case: An Epistemic Analysis on Decision-Making and Trust in Science in the Age of Information. Foundations of science, 28(1), 143-158. (2023)
2022
Suárez, J, Boem, F., Technology-driven surrogates and the perils of epistemic misalignment: an analysis in contemporary microbiome science. Synthese 200 (6):1-28. (2022)
Boem, F., Racism After the End of the Race: A Brief Epistemological Viewpoint on Genomic Studies and Racism. Africa e Mediterraneo, 96(1/22). (2022)
Boem, F., Bonzio S., A Logic for a Critical Attitude?, Logic and Logical Philosophy. (2022)
2021
Boem, F., Galletti, M., Public Health Policies, Science, and Democracy. Philosophy Moves Beyond the Pandemic., HUMANA.MENTE Journal of Philosophical Studies, 14(40), III-V. (2021)
Boem, F., Ratti, E., Science and Politics in a Time of Pandemic: Some Epistemological and Political Lessons from the Italian Story. (with Emanuele Ratti), HUMANA.MENTE Journal of Philosophical Studies 14(40), 89-124. (2021)
Boem, F., La mente estesa ma individuata: Una prospettiva simbiotica, Rivista Internazionale di Filosofia e Psicologia. 12, 3, p. 254-270 17 p. (2022)
Boem, F., Modeling Pandemic: Proximate and Ultimate Causes, Argumenta . 6, 2, p. 57-77, (2021)
Boem, F., Nannini, G. & Amedei, Multidisciplinary of anti-COVID-19 battle: from immunological weapons to ecological interventions, Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark, 26(11); 1274-1285. (2021)
Boem, F., Ferretti, G. & Caiani, S., Out of our skull, in our skin: the Microbiota-Gut-Brain axis and the Extended Cognition Thesis, Biology & Philosophy 36, 14 (2021).
2020
Boem, F., Scientific Protocols as Recipes: A New Way to Look at Experimental Practice in the Life Sciences and the Hidden Philosophy Within, HUMANA.MENTE Journal of Philosophical Studies, 13(38), 281-299, (2020)
Ronai, I., Greslehner, G. P., Boem, F. et al., "Microbiota, symbiosis and individuality summer school meeting report". Microbiome 8, 117 (2020).
Boem, F., Nannini, G. & Amedei, Not just ‘immunity’: how the microbiota can reshape our approach to cancer immunotherapy, Immunotherapy, (2020)
Niccolai, E., Boem, F., Emmi, G. & Amedei, A., The link "Cancer and autoimmune diseases" in the light of microbiota: evidence of a potential culprit, Immunology Letters 222 DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2020.03.001 (2020)
2019
Boem, F., Amedei A., Healthy axis: Towards an integrated view of the gut-brain health. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 25(29):3838-3841. (2019)
Niccolai, E., Boem, F., Russo, E. & Amedei, A., The Gut–Brain Axis in the Neuropsychological Disease Model of Obesity: A Classical Movie Revised by the Emerging Director “Microbiome”. Nutrients 2019, 11, 156 (2019)
2018
Amedei, A. & Boem, F., I’ve Gut A Feeling: Microbiota Impacting the Conceptual and Experimental Perspectives of Personalized Medicine. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2018, 19, 3756. (2018)
2017
Boniolo, G., Andreoletti, M., Boem, F., Ratti, E., The Main Faces of Robustness. Dialogue and Universalism, 3, 157-172 (2017)
2016
Boem, F., Orienteering Tools: Biomedical Research with Ontologies. HUMANA.MENTE Journal of Philosophical Studies, 9(30), 37-65., (2016)
Boem, F., Ratti, E., Andreoletti, M. & Boniolo, G., Why genes are like lemons. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, (2016)
2015
DiFrisco, J., Pontarotti, G., Boem, F., Schlaepfer, G., Sokolowska, E. & Fernández-Labandera, E., Ontological Issues in the Life Sciences. Biological Theory, (2015)
2014
Germain, P-L., Ratti, E. & Boem, F., Junk or Functional DNA? ENCODE and the Function Controversy. Biology & Philosophy (2014)
2012
Boem, F., Camara, G., Chuk, E., Quattri, F., Ratti, E., Sanfilippo, E M., Sojic, A., Diverse perspectives on ontology: A joint report on the First IAOA Interdisciplinary Summer School on Ontological Analysis. Applied ontology 8 (1):59-71.
OTHER PEER REVIEW PUBLICATIONS
Volume contributions:
2023
Greslehner, G. P., Boem, F., Chiu, L., & Konsman, J-P., Philosophical Perspectives on Neuroendocrine–Immune Interactions: The Building Block Model and Complementary Neuro-Endocrine-Immune-Microbiota Systems Approaches. In J. P. Konsman, & T. M. Reyes (Eds.), Neuroendocrine-Immune System Interactions (pp. 31-61). (Masterclass in Neuroendocrinology; Vol. 13). Springer Nature. (2023)
2022
Russo, E., Boem, F., Curini, L., & Amedei, A., Gastrointestinal Cancers: What Is the Real Board of Microenvironment and the Role of Microbiota–Immunity Axis?, Interdisciplinary Cancer Research Springer. (2022)
2021
Russo, E., Boem, F. & Amedei, A., Role of microbiome in cancer immunotherapy. Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy 1st Edition Volume 1: Delivery Strategies and Engineering Technologies in Cancer Immunotherapy (edited by Mansoor M. Amiji and Lara Scheherazade Milane) - (2021)
2020
Boem, F., Malagrinò, I. & Bertolaso, M., In Silico Clinical Trials: a Possible Response to Complexity in Pharmacology, in Uncertainty in Pharmacology: Epistemology, Methods, and Decisions. LaCaze, A. & Osimani, B. (eds.). Cham: Springer, p. 135-152 18 p. (Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science; vol. 338). (2020)
2016
Boem, F., Ratti, E., Towards a Notion of Intervention in Big-Data Biology and Molecular Medicine, in Philosophy of Molecular Medicine: Foundational Issues in Research and Practice (Edited by Giovanni Boniolo and Marco J Nathan), Routledge (2016)
2015
Boem, F, Boniolo, G., Pavelka Z., Stratification and Biomedicine: How Philosophy Stems from Medicine and Biotechnology in The Future of Scientific Practice (edited by Marta Bertolaso), Pickering & Chatto, (2015)
BOOKS:
Boem, F., Pensare per mappe. Ontologie per una pratica scientifica. Mimesi Edizioni (2023)
Boem, F., Forme dell'argomentare e del ragionare. Mondadori Education - Le Monnier Università (2021)
EDITING:
Elementi per una genetica forense, (co-edited with Luca Marelli), Mondadori, 2012
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS/INVITATIONS
“Improving nanoscience through open, collaborative critical discussions”, IUPAC-Chains , The Hague, 2023
“Gatekeepers in scientific publishing”, STS Italy, Bologna 2023
In July 2022, I was invited by Dr Kristina Ganzinger to participate as a research integrity expert in the workshop 'Reconstituting Biology: Charting the Way to Minimal Cells', organised by the Lorentz Center in Leiden.
“Scientific publishing: a new life for the distinction between the context of discovery and the context of justification?”, SPSP Biennial Conference, Ghent 2022
“Gatekeeping in scientific publishing: a new epistemic gear in the practice of science”, NVWF/Dutch Research School of Philosophy (OZSW) conference, Leusden 2022
“Toward a Rational Decision-theoretic Model of Vaccine Hesitancy”, SiNE, Milan, 2021
“Elementi per una epistemologia della comunicazione scientifica”, giornata di studi su "Comunicazione e responsabilità sociale della scienza", Firenze, 2021
“An epistemology for scientific communication”, STS Italia conference, Trieste, 2021
“Microbiota, cognition and individuality”, Workshop. Human Nature: Philosophy and the Natural Sciences. University of Milan, 2019
“Out of our Skull, within our Skin: The Gut Microbiota and the Extended Mind Thesis”, 4th Silfs Postgraduate Conference on Logic and Philosophy of Science, Urbino, 2019
“Vaccine hesitancy, epistemological and ethical issues” - at Chi ha paura dei vaccini.Filosofia, etica, comunicazione conference (organized by ASSR Emilia Romagna) , Bologna, 2017
“Molecular Biology vs Bioinformatics: the method and the demarcation” - at SILFS Triennial International Conference, Bologna, 2017
“Why genes are like lemons” - at SILFS conference, Urbino, 2016
“Mapping Biological Knowledge. From Particular Data to General Phenomena” – at 5th Biennial Conference of the Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice (SPSP), Aarhus, 2015
"Bio-ontologies as orienteering tools in biomedical research" – at third meeting of the European Advanced Seminar in the Philosophy of the Life Sciences (EASPLS), 2014 – Konrad Lorenz Institute in Klosterneuburg, Vienna, 2014
"What is stemness?" - at the international conference of the German Society for Philosophy of Science/Gesellschaft für Wissenschaftsphilosophie (GWP), University of Hannover, 2013
"The gene after encode: a Wittgensteinian approach" - at the ISHPSSB, University of Montpellier III, 2013
"Models in bioinformatics - GO a representation of what?" - at EPSA conference, - University of Helsinki, 2013
"Defining life?" - presentation at the conference "Materia e materia vivente", University of Florence, 2012
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
As instructor
King’s College London
“Ethics and Politics of Science and Technology”, Spring 2018
University of Milan
“Logic and critical thinking in scientific methodology”, Spring 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
University of Verona
Logic in clinical methodology”, Spring 2020, 2021
University of Urbino
“Philosophy of ecology”, Spring 2020
European School of Molecular Medicine graduate programme
“Applied ethics”, Fall 2016, 2019
As teaching assistant
University of Twente
“Scientific Methodology and Research Integrity”, (within the course Governing in a Tech-Based Society, Spring 2022, 2023
University of Amsterdam
“Data literacy”, Winter 2023
University of Milan
“Logic”, Spring 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
University of Florence
“Public understanding of science and Research integrity” (within the course in Science communication), Spring 2022
COURSES PREPARED TO TEACH
Philosophy of Science
Philosophy of the Life Sciences
Philosophy of Biomedicine
Philosophy of Data
Ethics and Politics of Science and Technology
Science and Values
Research Integrity and trust
Science and Democracy
Introduction to STS
Critical Thinking
History of Science
History of Biology
History of Medicine
SUPERVISIONS
Master thesis supervisor:
Lucrezia Totolo, AA 2016-2017 - Il fenomeno dell'esitazione vaccinale nelle politiche di sanità pubblica: un'analisi delle ragioni, Corso di Laurea in SCIENZE COGNITIVE E PROCESSI DECISIONALI, Università di Milano ‘Statale’
Chiara Ballabio, AA 2018-2019 - Sbagliamo perché esitiamo o esitiamo perché sbagliamo? Analisi dei processi cognitivi implicati nella scelta vaccinale. Corso di Laurea in SCIENZE COGNITIVE E PROCESSI DECISIONALI, Università di Milano ‘Statale’
Margherita Bove, AA 2018-2019 - Mind your Body: Mental Disorders in the Light of Embodiment. Corso di Laurea in SCIENZE COGNITIVE E PROCESSI DECISIONALI, Università di Milano ‘Statale’
Francesca Vendola, AA 2018-2019, Bacterial Human Being: A Redefinition Of Extended Cognition In The Light Of Microbiota’s Impact On Brain And Behavior. Corso di Laurea in SCIENZE COGNITIVE E PROCESSI DECISIONALI, Università di Milano ‘Statale’
Carmen D’Ambrosio AA 2019-2020 - Comunicare il rischio. La comunicazione nella gestione della pandemia da Covid-19. Corso di Laurea in SCIENZE COGNITIVE E PROCESSI DECISIONALI, Università di Milano ‘Statale’
SCHOLARSHIPS
• 2014-2015: Umberto Veronesi’s Foundation scholarship (18,500 euro gross per year)
• 2012-2013: European School of Molecular Medicine scholarship (18,500 euro gross per year)
LABORATORY ROTATIONS AND EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES
• January 2013 – December 2015
Gioacchino Natoli's group - Transcriptional control in inflammation and cancer (IEO) - PCR,
- Transfection,
- ChIP-seq,
- Elements of R programming,
- Gene Ontology enrichment analysis
• February 2012- December 2012.
Giuliana Pelicci’s group: Biology and signal transduction of normal and cancer neural stem cells. (IEO)
- Theoretical work on the notion of stemness.
- Practical experience with the Western blot technique
MEMBERSHIPS
Member of SILFS (Italian Society of Logic and Philosophy of Science)
Member of Dutch Research School of Philosophy
Member of SPSP (Society for Philosophy of Scientific Practice)
Member STS Italy
OTHER EXPERIENCES
2012 - Summer School in Ontological Analysis, IAOA, University of Trento
2010 - Natural History Museum of the University of Florence, curator assistant on Museum collection