Massimiliano Simons is an Assistant Professor in Philosophy of Technology at Maastricht University, and guest researcher at X-lab in Hasselt. His research is focused on developments in contemporary technosciences (synthetic biology, nanotechnology, robotics, data science), 20th-century French philosophy of science and technology, philosophy of expertise and conspiracy theories, and the history of philosophy of experimentation.
In his work, he mainly focuses on mapping contemporary shifts in scientific practices, especially in newly emerging domains such as synthetic biology, nanotechnology, robotics or data science. The main question is in what ways these domains embody a series of shifts in the relationship between science and society, and science and technology. To examine these practices, Simons primarily uses methods within French philosophy of science and science studies. Scientific practices are thus studied from a historical and sociological point of view.
A second way in which these shifts show themselves is in changes in the relationship between science and the public, which shows itself in a changing attitude and appreciation of science in the public debate. Hence Simons' interest in themes of expertise and conspiracy theory that focus on the shifting role of scientific institutions in our society.