Hi, welcome to my website!
I am Miguel, a philosopher and historian of science, currently based at the University of Cambridge as a Postdoctoral Fellow of the British Academy. You will often find me busy writing my book (under contract at Oxford University Press), which is tentatively titled "Newton's Open Problem: Earth's Shape and Universal Gravitation". In it, I reconstruct how we tested the 'universal' particle-to-particle nature of gravitation, i.e., Newton's most daring claim in his Principia. My other research explores the foundations and limits of quantitative measurement in science. You can use this website to discover my research and teaching. Of course, you can also reach out to me directly.
If you have little time, you can find basic information about my recent publications and upcoming talks by simply scrolling down.
Thank you for your interest in my research!
upcoming and recent talks
27-28 May 2025
Topic: Tbd.
Occasion: Conference: Empiricism and the the Methodology of Modern Physics
@ University of Western Ontario
12 May 2025
Topic: Quantification in Geophysics
Occasion: Making Modern Geophysics Workshop.
@ Royal Institution of Great Britain
9 Apr 2025
Topic: Universal Gravitation? Generalisation and Evidence in Celestial Mechanics
@ Center for Science Studies, Aarhus University
27-29 Mar 2025
Topic: The Prospects and Limits of Quantitative Measurement: Lessons from Seismology
Occasion: 10th Integrated History and Philosophy of Science Conference
@ California Institute of Technology
26 Mar 2025
Topic: Micro Matter(s): The Adventures of Newtonian Gravitation at Small Distances
Occasion: Workshop on the Historical and Conceptual Relationship between Macro- and Microphysics
@ Einstein Papers House, California Institute of Technology
25 Mar 2025
Topic: Richter, Gutenberg, and the Problem of Quantification
Occasion: SeismoLab Lunchtime Seminar
@ Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
forthcoming and recent publications
Forthcoming
Should We Align Quantitative Measures with Stakeholder Values? Philosophy of Science.
Forthcoming
With Alisa Bokulich and Matilde Carrera:
Rising Tides and the Method of Residues: Anomaly-Driven Research in the Geosciences. Carol Cleland and Michael Dietrich (eds.) Anomalies in Science. Springer.
2024
The Problem of the Earth's Figure: Measurement, Theory, and Evidence in Physical Geodesy. [Dissertation] University of Cambridge Repository.
2023
The Epistemic Privilege of Measurement: Motivating a Functionalist Account. Philosophy of Science 90.
2022
Newton as Geodesist: The Problem of the Earth's Figure and the Argument for Universal Gravitation.* Newsletter of the American Physical Society (Oct).
*Winner of the 2022 APS History and Philosophy of Physics Essay Price