Areas of Specialization:
Renaissance and Early Modern Philosophy, Descartes, Spinoza, the Cambridge Platonists, History and Philosophy of Science.
 
Education

• Ecole pratique des hautes études (VIe section), Centre de recherches d'histoire des sciences et des techniques. Elève Titulaire, 1964-65.
• Queen's University of Belfast, Department of Philosophy. Ph.D. (1964). Dissertation:: "Descartes' dynamical thought: a critical study of some problems, principles, and concepts".
• Queen's University of Belfast, B.Sc., 1960. Major:  Applied Mathematics.
   

Teaching Positions

• Department of Philosophy, Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, Full Professor, from July 1992. Chair of Department, from Autumn Term, 1993.
• Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Centre Alexandre Koyré (Histoire des Sciences et des Techniques), Paris. Visiting professorship, May 1991.
• Department of Philosophy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City. E. E. Erickson Visiting Professor of Philosophy, Winter Term 1991.
• Queen's University Belfast, Department of Scholastic Philosophy. TA, Fall Semester 1990-91.
• Department of Philosophy, Washington University, St. Louis, MO. Visiting Professor, Spring Semester, 1989.
• Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, University of Toronto, Victoria College, Toronto.. Visiting Professor, Fall Semester 1988.
• Center for the Study of Science in Society, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA. Visiting Professor, Spring Quarter 1988.
• Department of History & Philosophy of Science, Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Reader Emeritus, December 1987, Head of Department (1979-1987), Reader in History & Philosophy of Science, 1985-1987, Senior Lecturer (1977-85), Lecturer (1968-1976), Assistant Lecturer (1965-1968).

Professional Activities

• Editorial Board, Archives Internationales d'Histoire des Idées (Kluwer Academic Publishers, incorp. Reidel, Nijhoff, Junk, MTP Press, Dordrecht), since March 1988.
• Consulting Editor of Studies in History and Philosophy of Science (Cambridge), 1982-1991.
• Membre effectif , International Academy of the History of Science. Elected 1988.
• Membre correspondant , International Academy of the History of Science. Elected 1978.
• New York Academy of Sciences, Advisory Committee for History and Philosophy of Science Section (1995-)