Samuli Reijula looking at the ceiling

Samuli Reijula (né Pöyhönen)

I am a philosopher and cognitive scientist interested in how science works, how it could, and how it should work.

In 2019, I joined the permanent faculty of Theoretical Philosophy at the University of Helsinki as a university lecturer (roughly equivalent to US associate professor). I’m also affiliated with the TINT Centre for Philosophy of Social Science, and a docent (academic habilitation) in Practical philosophy, University of Helsinki.

I’m currently (2020-2025) on research leave as an Academy of Finland research fellow. My project focuses on the nature of scientific problem solving: Science is the humanity’s most successful problem-solving system, and the primary source of epistemic authority in modern societies. How does that system function at different levels from individual scientists to research groups and scientific communities? And how should it function - what are the social, cognitive, and institutional preconditions of well-functioning scientific research?

I am also interested in cognitive diversity, coping with uncertainty, epistemology of simulation modeling, foundations of scientific classification, as well as issues related to the (cognitive) science of science, scientific discovery, science policy, evidence-based policy, boosting, and Bildung in all its forms.

In June 2022, together with Säde Hormio and Raul Hakli, I organized the first Institutional epistemology workshop at the University of Helsinki. INES2023 took place in June 2023.

Together with Pantelis Analytis (Odense, Denmark) and Jacob Habinek (IAS, Sweden), I organize a series of workshops Nordic Network for the Science of Science (funded by NOS-HS, 2022-2023). In 2024, the nordic network transformed into the European Network for the Science of Science (EUROSCISCI).

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CV

Samuli Reijula, Curriculum vitae 2024-01