Eric Scerri

Eric Scerri
Fields	Chemistry; logic, history and philosophy of science, chemistry and the periodic table; chemical education
Institutions	University of California, Los Angeles
Alma mater	Westfield College, (University of London); University of Cambridge; University of Southampton; King's College London
Influences	Karl Popper; Heinz Post
Website http://www.ericscerri.com/

Eric R. Scerri is a chemist, writer and philosopher of science, of Maltese origin.^[1] He is a lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles; and the founder and editor-in-chief of Foundations of Chemistry, an international peer reviewed journal covering the history and philosophy of chemistry, and chemical education.^[2][3]

He is a world authority on the history and philosophy of the periodic table and is the author and editor of several books in this and related fields.^[4] Dr. Scerri was a participant in the 2014 PBS documentary film, The Mystery of Matter.

Dr Scerri received his BSc from Westfield College (University of London), his Certificate in Postgraduate Study from the University of Cambridge, his MPhil from the University of Southampton, and his PhD from King's College London.^[3]

Publications (recent and notable)

Books

• Scerri E, 2016, "A Tale of Seven Scientists, and a New Philosophy of Science," Oxford University Press, New York, ISBN 978-0190232993
• —— 2013, A tale of seven elements, Oxford University Press, Oxford, ISBN 9780195391312
• —— 2013 (ed.), 30-second elements: The 50 most significant elements, each explained in half a minute, Metro Books, New York, ISBN 9781435145214
• —— 2012, The periodic table: A very short introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford, ISBN 9780199582495
• —— 2009, Selected papers on the periodic table, Imperial College Press, London, ISBN 9781848164253
• —— 2008, Collected papers on philosophy of chemistry, Imperial College Press, London, ISBN 9781848161375
• —— 2007, The periodic table: Its story and its significance, Oxford University Press, New York, ISBN 9780195305739
• —— & Baird D, McIntyre L, 2006, Philosophy of Chemistry: Synthesis of a New Discipline, Springer, Dordrecht, ISBN 1402032560
• —— & McIntyre L, 2015, Philosophy of Chemistry: Growth of a New Discipline, Springer, Dordrecht, Berlin, ISBN 978-94-017-9364-3 (ebook) ISBN 978-94-017-9363-6 (hardcover) doi:10.1007/978-94-017-9364-3 ISSN 0068-0346 (series)
• —— & Fisher G, 2016, Essays in the Philosophy of Chemistry Oxford University Press, New York, ISBN 9780190494599

Articles

• —— 2014, ', The discovery of the periodic table as a case of simultaneous discovery, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, A 373: 20140172, 2014.
• —— 2013, 'The trouble with the aufbau principle', Education in Chemistry, vol. 50, no. 6, pp. 24–26
• —— 2012, 'Mendeleev's periodic table is finally completed and what to do about group 3?', Chemistry International, vol. 34, no. 4
• —— 2010, 'Chemistry in its element – Lawrencium', Royal Society of Chemistry, viewed 30 December 2013
• —— 2009, 'Periodic change', Chemistry World, March, pp. 46–49
• —— 2007, 'The ambiguity of reduction', Hyle, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 67–81
• —— 2007, 'Trouble in the periodic table', Education in Chemistry, January, pp. 13–17
• —— 2007, 'Reduction and Emergence in Chemistry - Two Recent Approaches', "Philosophy of Science," 74, pp. 920–931
• —— 2005, 'Some Aspects of the Metaphysics of Chemistry and the Nature of the Elements', Hyle, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 127–145
• —— 2003, 'Hafnium', Chemical & Engineering News, vol. 81, no. 36, p. 138, doi:10.1021/cen-v081n036.p138
• —— 2003, 'Philosophy of Chemistry', Chemistry International, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 6–8
• —— & Worrall J 2001, 'Prediction and the periodic table', Studies in history and philosophy of science, 32, no. 3, pp. 407–452
• —— 2001, 'The Recently Claimed Observation of Atomic Orbitals and Some Related Philosophical Issues', Philosophy of Science, 68, (proceedings), pp. S76–S78
• —— 1997, 'Has the Periodic Table Been Successfully Axiomatized?' Erkenntnis, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 229–243
• —— & McIntyre L 1997, 'The Case for the Philosophy of Chemistry', Synthese, vol. 111, pp. 213–232
• —— 1994, 'Has Chemistry Been at Least Approximately Reduced to Quantum Mechanics ?', Philosophy of Science, PSA Proceedings, vol. 1, pp. 160–170
• —— 1991, 'Chemistry, spectroscopy, and the question of reduction', Journal of Chemical Education, vol. 68, no. 2, pp. 122–126
• —— 1991, 'The Electronic Configuration Model, Quantum Mechanics and Reduction', British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 309–325
• —— 1986, 'The Tao of Chemistry', Journal of Chemical Education, vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 106–107

References

1. Baykoucheva S 2010, 'Eric Scerri: A philosopher’s view on the periodic table of the elements and its significance', Chemical Information Bulletin, vol. 62, no. 1, Spring, pp. 27–32
2. Rocke A 2012, 'A place at the periodic table', The Times Higher Education Supplement, 15 August
3. UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry 2013, 'Scerri, Eric R.', University of California. For current biographical information see the home page of Eric Scerri
4. Sella A 2013, 'An elementary history lesson', New Scientist, 13 August

External links

• Home page of Eric Scerri
• Interview with editor of Nature Chemistry
• Public Lecture given at Concordia University, Montreal
• Public Lecture given at University of Kansas, Lawrence
• Career Advice for Scientists from Eric Scerri
• Eric Scerri at the Internet Movie Database