Scott A. Walter
Faculty of Science
and
Technology
Nantes University
Faculté des sciences et des techniques
2 rue de la Houssinière, 44322 Nantes Cedex 3
02 51 12 57 81
scott dot walter [at] univ-nantes dot fr
http://scottwalter.free.fr
Research Activities and Interests
My research focuses on the history and philosophy of the physical and mathematical sciences and technologies from 1800 to 2000. Founder and editor of the Henri Poincaré Papers website, I led collaborations in the edition of Poincaré’s correspondence with physicists, chemists, and engineers (Birkhäuser, 2007), and with astronomers and geodesists (Birkhäuser, 2016). I am a member of the Atlantic Center for Philosophy (CAPHI), and pursue research projects in four areas: (1) statistical astronomy, stellar dynamics and cosmology in the early twentieth century; (2) wireless communication sciences from 1900 to 1930; (3) foundations of Henri Poincaré’s geometric conventionalism; (4) critical edition of Poincaré’s research notebooks. I lecture on these and related topics at Nantes University; for details, see the lecture summary. A printable, short CV is available in English and French. Likewise for the long version (with lists of publications and talks), in English and French. If you’d like a printable version of this CV, click here.
Positions
2015 to date
2013–2015
Adjunct Professor of Scientific Humanities, SciencesPo Paris, Franco-German Campus, Nancy
2012–2015
2001–2011
1999–2001
1998–1999
CNRS-Max Planck Gesellschaft postdoctoral fellow, Max-Planck-Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte, Berlin
1992–1995
1992–1993
1989
1985–1988
Staff research scientist, Computer Science Department GM Research Laboratories, Warren Technical Center
Select Fellowships and Invitations
2022
Invited Professor, Graduate Program in Philosophy of Science, Université nationale autonome du Mexique (UNAM)
2016
Resident scholar, Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology, National Museum of American History, Washington, DC, one month
2013
Resident scholar, Dibner Library, two months
2011–2012
Research sabbatical, Univ. Nancy 2 (fall semester)
2008
Visiting fellow, Erwin Schrödinger International Institute for Mathematics and Physics, Vienna, two weeks
2007–2009
CNRS research fellow, affiliated with the Henri-Poincaré Archives (UMR 7117)
2004–2005
Research sabbatical, Univ. Nancy 2 (fall semester)
Principal Investigator
2010–2014
2007–2011
2000–2003
Postdoctoral Supervision
2010–2011
Olivier Bruneau, history of mathematics
2010–2011
Amirouche Moktefi, history of mathematics, history of modern logic
2007–2009
Martina Schiavon, history of 19th-century geodesy
2006–2008
Ralf Krömer, history of mathematics
Doctoral supervision
2022+
Philippe Katz, Henri Poincaré and the limits to Newton’s law, 1906–1907, Nantes University, ECLIS doctoral program
2021+
Corentin Fève, The neo-Kantian reception of relativity theory, Nantes University, ECLIS doctoral program
Master’s Thesis Supervision
Current
2022–2023
Marie-Caroline Decuiserie, La notion de “natural kinds” entre Darwin et Dewey (Master 1)
2022–2023
Philippe Katz, Une édition critique du cours d’Henri Poincaré sur les limites de la loi de Newton (Master 2)
Past
2021–2022
Fanny Aici, Les recherches sur les ondes gravitationnelles en Europe (Master 2)
2021–2022
Matthieu Boutier, Les contributions d’Henri Poincaré au calcul des probabilités (Master 2)
2020–2021
Thomas Marcou, L’édition critique de la deuxième partie du Mémoire sur les courbes définies par une équation différentielle d’Henri Poincaré (Master 1)
2018–2019
Éloise Boisseau, La machine de Turing : une approche philosophique (Master 1)
2017–2018
Nadia Tronche, Les astéroïdes troyens: un concept mathématique devenu un objectif spatial (Master 2)
2016–2017
Alice Pastor, La contribution des travaux de Vera Rubin dans la découverte de la matière noire (Master 2)
2013–2014
Manon Lagarde, Kahneman et la prise de décision: d’une théorie économique vers une mise en perspective philosophique (Master 2)
Editorial Activities
2022+
Reviewer, Mathematical Reviews (MathSciNet)
2015–2018
Editorial board, Cahiers François Viète
2015–2017
Reviewer, Zentralblatt MATH
2012 to date
Editorial board, Histoires de géométries, Presses universitaires de Nancy
2011 to date
Scientific board, Max Planck Research Library for the History and Development of Knowledge
2009 to date
Editorial board, Documents for the History of Mathematics, Universitätsverlag Göttingen
2003–2005
Book review editor, Historia Mathematica
2002 to date
Founder and editor, Henri Poincaré Papers
2000–2015
Editorial board, Philosophia Scientiæ
1999 to date
Referee for American Journal of Physics, Archive for History of Exact Science, Chirality, Erkenntnis, Foundations of Physics, International Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Isis, Philosophia Scientiæ, Physics Essays, Revue d’histoire des mathématiques, Revue d’histoire des sciences, Science in Context, Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, and Studies in History and Philosophy of Science
Academic Leadership
2020+
Member, Atlantic Center for Philosophy (CAPHI, UR 7463)
2017–2022
Steering committee, Research coordination network: Developing an Integrative Approach to Computational and Digital History and Philosophy of Science, National Science Foundation
2017–2018
Council member, doctoral school Societies, temporalities, territories, Université Bretagne Loire
2016–2018
Director, François-Viète Center for Epistemology and History of Science and Technology, Nantes-Brest
2016–2017
Council member, doctoral school 496, Societies, cultures, exchange, Nantes-Angers-Le Mans
2016–2018
Commission for Humanities (SHS) of the Regional Consultative Committee for Research and Technological Development (CCRRDT), Loire Region
2015–2016
Deputy director, François-Viète Center, Nantes
2013–2014
Co-chair, Digital-HPS
2012 to date
Steering committee, Digital-HPS
2012–2015
Executive council (alternate), Doctoral school Stanislas, University of Lorraine
2009–2015
Director of graduate studies in philosophy and history of science, University of Lorraine
2009–2012
Executive council (alternate), Doctoral school “Language, Time, Society”, University Nancy 2
2007–2014
Executive council, UFR Connaissance de l’homme, University of Nancy 2
2004 to date
Scientific council, Archives Jules Vuillemin
2000–2015
Executive council, Henri Poincaré Archives (CNRS), Nancy
2000–2015
Co-director of the research group “Archives, Corpora, Scientific Institutions and Societies” with 11 full-time-equivalent members, Henri-Poincaré Archives (CNRS, UMR 7117)
2000–2002
Director, Department of philosophy, University Nancy 2
Academic Committees, National and International
2022 to date
Member, CNFHPST, the French National Committee on History and Philosophy of Science and Technology
2021–2023
Member (appointed), French National University Council, section 72: epistemology, history of science and technology
2021
Member, French National Delegation, IUHPST/DHST (International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology/Division of History of Science and Technology)
2021
External expert, French National Research Agency, program on culture, creation, and patrimony (CE27)
2018-2019
Expert, Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Insight Grants in philosophy
2018–2019
Member, French National Research Agency, program on the digital revolution in knowledge and culture (CE38)
2018
Expert, Israel Science Foundation
2018
Expert, French National University Council, section 72: epistemology, history of science
2017–2018
Expert, French High Council for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (HCERES). Evaluation of CNRS units 7219 (SPHERE, Paris) and 8560 (Centre Alexandre Koyré, Paris)
2016 to date
2012 to date
2012
Member, Henri Poincaré Centennial 1912–2012, Scientific committee presided by Cédric Villani
2008
Member, Beyond Einstein congress, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 21-26 September, 2008
2005
Einstein: Chief Engineer of the Universe, exhibition organized by the Max-Planck-Institute for History of Science at the Kronprinzenpalais, Berlin, May-October, 2005
Media and Outreach
2016-05-09
Interview on the history of light, published on the website Culture Sciences
2011-04-17
Interview on the history and philosophy of robotics, aired on a TV newsmagazine, France 3
2007-08-15
The Spell of the Poincaré Conjecture. Documentary film (110 min) produced by NHK Tokyo, directed by M. Kasuga
2005-11-14
It’s All Relative, Professor Poincaré. Documentary film (26 min) directed by Philippe Thomine. Scientific advisory board member. Streaming video.
2002-06-09
Le monde est-il mathématique? 52-minute documentary by Philippe Thomine. N° 4 in the series “Sciences et philosophie.” Aired on les Amphis de France 5. Consultant, in collaboration with G. Heinzmann. Streaming video.
2007-03-27
Interview on the notion of time, aired on a French TV newsmagazine, France 3
1997
Whitney Museum, New York, exhibition consultant for “Making Mischief: Dada invades New York”
Diplomas
2008
Habilitation in Letters and Humanities, University of Nancy 2
1996
Ph.D. in Epistemology and History of the Exact Sciences, University of Paris 7 Denis Diderot
1992
D.E.A. in Epistemology and History of the Exact Sciences, University of Paris 7 Denis Diderot
1990
Licence de philosophie, University of Paris 8
1985
B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University
Professional Affiliations
Publications
Publications page
Google Scholar
ResearchGate
Web of Science
Academia.edu
PhilPapers