History and Philosophy of Science

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
About the Department
The largest university department of its kind in the UK, the Department of History and Philosophy of Science has an outstanding international reputation. It is a vigorous and expanding centre of teaching and research, as recognised by the award of the highest grade of 5* in the 2001 HEFCE national Research Assessment Exercise.

The Department is based in the centre of Cambridge, in the old physical chemistry laboratory on Free School Lane. At its heart is the Whipple Museum, a world-class collection of scientific instruments and models. As well as being open to the public, it is regularly used by the Department's staff and students for teaching and research. The museum is named after Robert Whipple, who presented his unique collection of scientific instruments to the University in 1944.

Next to the museum is the Department's library, the Whipple Library, which was founded on Robert Whipple's collection of rare scientific books. The library has extensive holdings in all areas of the history, philosophy and sociology of science, technology and medicine, making it the largest library in the UK specialising in this field.

There are eleven established University Teaching Officers in the Department, including six Professors and one Reader. Around 100-140 undergraduate students are taught by the Department as part of the Natural Sciences Tripos. The Department offers an MPhil in History, Philosophy and Sociology of Science, Technology and Medicine, with approximately 25 students per year. PhD students at any one time total approximately 45. There are also a number of Research Fellows and Visiting Scholars attached to the Department.

Research seminars are held in the Department throughout the academic year. At the weekly departmental seminar, papers are given by invited speakers from across the field of history and philosophy of science and medicine. In addition, there are regular specialist seminars, reading groups and workshops on a variety of subjects.

The Department is a major centre for teaching and research in history of medicine. Expertise in this field covers an exceptionally wide range, from antiquity to the present, from the medieval universities to the postwar laboratory sciences, from anatomy to psychoanalysis. The Department's programme in history of medicine has been recognised by an enhancement award from the Wellcome Trust.