Staff profile

I graduated with a BSc in Chemistry and the Philosophy of Science from King's College London and the LSE, in 1989. Foundational problems in quantum chemistry prompted me to sign up for a PhD in Philosophy at the LSE, though my thesis, when completed in late 1993, was entitled 'Realism, history and the quantum theory'. It mostly concerned Imre Lakatos' views on methodology, the historical development of quantum theory, and scientific realism. My first lectureship was at the University of Edinburgh (January-September 1994), after which I came to Durham in October 1994. Since then I have worked on scientific realism, modeling in the physical sciences, and the history and philosophy of chemistry and its relationship to physics.

My areas of research include: philosophical issues in chemistry such as the nature of chemical substances, molecular structure and the chemical bond; and general metaphysical issues in science such as unity and natural kinds. For a list of publications and works in progress see my personal research page.

Robin Hendry CV

Recent Grants and Awards

• 2013-16: The Durham Emergence Project (John Templeton Foundation)
  Three-year interdisciplinary research initiative across philosophy of science, philosophy of mind and condensed matter physics, involving postdoctoral fellowships, PhD studentships, a research funding competition, two summer schools and a final conference. (Co-Investigators Professor E.J. Lowe, Professor T. McLeish). For further details see http://www.dur.ac.uk/emergence/.
• 2014: (As co-investigator, PI Sophie Gibb) 'Emergence: Where is the Evidence?'
  Research Networking Scheme, Arts and Humanities Research Council.
• 2012: 'Structure in Chemistry: A Preliminary Investigation'
  Exploratory Award, Arts and Humanities Research Council. For further details see http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/documents/case-studies/structure-in-chemistry-a-preliminary-investigation.
• 2009: Fellowship under the theme of 'Water'
  Institute of Advanced Study, Durham University
• 2005: 'The Metaphysics of Chemistry'
  Research Leave Scheme, Arts & Humanities Research Council
• 2003-4: 'The Metaphysics of Chemistry'
  Research Fellowship, Leverhulme Trust

Works in Progress

• With my Durham colleagues Sophie Gibb and Tom Lancaster I am currently editing a Handbook of Emergence for Routledge. For a number of years I have also been completing a monograph entitled The Metaphysics of Chemistry.
• Books apart, my research covers all aspects of the history and philosophy of chemistry and its relationship to physics. I am currently writing papers on the historical development of theories of structure in chemistry, and on whether molecular structure can be considered to be emergent.

Research Interests

• History and philosophy of chemistry and its relationship to physics
• The relationship between history and philosophy of science

Research supervision

• I have supervised a range of PhD research projects in the philosophy of science and epistemology. I would especially welcome enquiries from students wishing to pursue postgraduate research on foundational and historical topics in chemistry and other physical sciences.

Postgraduate teaching

• Philosophical Issues in Science and Medicine

Undergraduate teaching modules

• Philosophy of Science

Administrative duties

• Director of Research in the Department of Philosophy

• History and philosophy of chemistry and its relationship to physics
• The relationship between history and philosophy of science

Chapter in book

• Hendry, R. F. (2020). Trusting Atoms. In U. Zilioli (Ed.), Atomism in Philosophy: A History from Antiquity to the Present (470-488). Bloomsbury. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350107526
• Hendry, R., & Needham, P. (2018). Aspects of the concept of potentiality in chemistry. In K. Engelhard, & M. Quante (Eds.), Handbook of Potentiality. Springer Verlag
• Hendry, R. (2017). Mechanisms and reduction in organic chemistry. In M. Massimi, J. Romeijn, & G. Schurz (Eds.), EPSA15 selected papers : the 5th conference of the European Philosophy of Science Association in Düsseldorf (111-124). Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53730-6_15
• Hendry, R. (2017). Prospects for strong emergence in chemistry. In F. Francesco Orilia, & M. Paoletti (Eds.), Philosophical and scientific perspectives on downward causation (146-163). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315638577-9
• Hendry, R. (2016). Natural kinds in chemistry. In G. Fisher, & E. Scerri (Eds.), Essays in the Philosophy of Chemistry (253-276). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190494599.003.0019
• Hendry, R. (2015). Are chemical kinds natural kinds?. In U. Maki, I. Votsis, S. Ruphy, & G. Schurz (Eds.), Recent Developments in the Philosophy of Science: EPSA13 Helsinki (251-261). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23015-3
• Hendry, R. (2013). Chemistry. In M. Curd, & S. Psillos (Eds.), Routledge Companion to the Philosophy of Science (586-596). (2nd ed.). Routledge
• Hendry, R. (2013). Three metaphysical issues in chemistry. In J.-P. Llored (Ed.), Philosophy of Chemistry: Practices, Methodologies, and Concepts (522-539). Cambridge Scholars’ Press
• Hendry, R. (2013). Kinetics, models and mechanism. In U. Gähde, S. Hartmann, & J. Henning Wolf (Eds.), Models, Simulations, and the Reduction of Complexity (221-227). De Gruyter
• Hendry, R. (2011). ¿Hay causación descendente en química?. In D. Baird, E. Scerri, & L. McIntyre (Eds.), Filosofía de la química. Síntesis de una nueva disciplina. FONDO DE CULTURA ECONÓMICA (FCE)
• Hendry, R., Weisberg, M., & Needham, P. (2011). Philosophy of Chemistry. In E. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (Winter 2011 Edition). Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University
• Hendry, R. (2011). Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794). In R. Hendry, P. Needham, A. Woody, E. I. 9780080930763, H. I. 9780444516756, I. N. Holland, & P. D. 1. N. 2011 (Eds.), Philosophy of Chemistry (Volume 6). Elsevier
• Hendry, R. (2011). Elements. In R. Hendry, P. Needham, & A. Woody (Eds.), Philosophy of Chemistry (Volume 6). Elsevier
• Hendry, R. (2011). Chemical Bond. In R. Hendry, P. Needham, & A. Woody (Eds.), Philosophy of Chemistry (Volume 6). Elsevier
• Hendry, R. (2011). Linus Pauling (1901-1994). In R. Hendry, P. Needham, & A. Woody (Eds.), Philosophy of Chemistry (Volume 6). Elsevier
• Hendry, R. (2011). Philosophy of chemistry. In S. French, & J. Saatsi (Eds.), The Continuum Companion to the Philosophy of Science (293-313). Bloomsbury Academic
• Hendry, R. (2011). Charles Coulson (1910-1974). In R. Hendry, P. Needham, & A. Woody (Eds.), Philosophy of Chemistry (Volume 6). Elsevier
• Hendry, R. (2011). Reduction, Emergence and Physicalism. In R. Hendry, P. Needham, & A. Woody (Eds.), Philosophy of Chemistry (Volume 6). Elsevier
• Hendry, R. (2010). Chemistry: emergence vs. reduction. In C. Macdonald, & G. Macdonald (Eds.), Emergence in Mind. Oxford University Press
• Hendry, R. (2010). The elements and conceptual change. In H. Beebee, & N. Sabbarton-Leary (Eds.), The Semantics and Metaphysics of Natural Kinds (137-158). Routledge
• Hendry, R. (2010). The chemical bond: structure, energy and explanation. In M. Dorato, M. Rèdei, & M. Suarez (Eds.), EPSA Philosophical Issues in the Sciences (117-127). Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3252-2
• Hendry, R. (2008). Microstructuralism: Problems and Prospects. In K. Ruthenberg, & J. Brakel (Eds.), Stuff: The Nature of Chemical Substances. Königshausen und von Neumann
• Hendry, R. (2008). Chemistry. In S. Psillos, & M. Curd (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Science. Routledge
• Hendry, R., & Psillos, S. (2007). How to do things with theories: an interactive view of language and models in science. In J. Brzeziński, A. Klawiter, T. Kuipers, K. Łastowski, K. Paprzycka, & P. Przybysz (Eds.), The Courage of Doing Philosophy. Rodopi
• Hendry, R. (2006). ‘Is there downward causation in chemistry?’. In D. Baird, E. Scerri, & L. McIntyre (Eds.), Philosophy of chemistry : synthesis of a new discipline (173-189). Springer Verlag
• Hendry, R. (2003). Filosofia della chimica. In N. Vassallo (Ed.), Filosofie delle Scienze. Einaudi
• Hendry, R. (2001). Mathematics, Representation and Molecular Structure. In Tools and Modes of Representation in the Laboratory Sciences. Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-9737-1
• Hendry, R. (1999). Theories and models: the interactive view. In Visual representations and interpretations (121-130). Springer Verlag
• Hendry, R. (1998). Models and approximations in quantum chemistry. In Idealization in contemporary physics: Poznan studies in the philosophy of the sciences and the humanities (123-142). Rodopi
• Hendry, R. (1995). Realism and progress: why scientists should be realists. In Philosophy and technology: Royal Institute of Philosophy supplement (53-72). Cambridge University Press

Conference Paper

• Hendry, R. F. (2003, December). Chemistry and the completeness of physics. Presented at 11th International Congress of Logic, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science, Kraków

Edited book

• Hendry, R., Needham, P., & Woody, A. (Eds.). (2011). Philosophy of Chemistry (Volume 6)

Journal Article

• Hendry, R. F. (2023). Structure, essence and existence in chemistry. Ratio: An international journal of analytic philosophy, 36(4), 274-288. https://doi.org/10.1111/rati.12387
• Hendry, R. F. (2021). Elements and (first) principles in chemistry. Synthese, 198, 3391-3411. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-019-02312-8
• Hendry, R. F. (2021). Structure, scale and emergence. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, 85, 44-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2020.08.006
• Hendry, R. (2016). Structure as abstraction. Philosophy of Science, 83(5), 1070-1081. https://doi.org/10.1086/687939
• Hendry, R. (2016). Immanent Philosophy of X. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, 55, 36-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2015.08.008
• Hendry, R. (2012). Chemical substances and the limits of pluralism. Foundations of Chemistry, 14(1), 55-68. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10698-011-9145-6
• Hendry, R. (2010). Science and everyday life: "Water" vs. "H2O". Insights (Durham), 3(23),
• Hendry, R. (2010). Ontological reduction and molecular structure. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B: Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics, 41(2), 183-191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsb.2010.03.005
• Hendry, R. (2010). Entropy and chemical substance. Philosophy of Science, 77(5), 921-932. https://doi.org/10.1086/656550
• Hendry, R., & Rowbottom, D. (2009). Dispositional essentialism and the necessity of laws. Analysis, 69(4), 668-677. https://doi.org/10.1093/analys/anp093
• Hendry, R. (2008). Two conceptions of the chemical bond. Philosophy of Science, 75(5), 909-920. https://doi.org/10.1086/594534
• Hendry, R., & Needham, P. (2007). Le Poidevin on the reduction of chemistry. The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 58(2), https://doi.org/10.1093/bjps/axm008
• Hendry, R. (2006). ‘Elements, compounds and other chemical kinds’. Philosophy of Science, 73(5), 864-875. https://doi.org/10.1086/518745
• Hendry, R. (2006). Substantial confusion. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, 37, 322-336
• Hendry, R. (2005). ‘Lavoisier and Mendeleev on the elements’. Foundations of Chemistry, 7(1), 31-48. https://doi.org/10.1023/b%3Afoch.0000042886.65679.4e
• Hendry, R. (2004). ‘The physicists, the chemists and the pragmatics of explanation’. Philosophy of Science, 71(5), 1048-1059. https://doi.org/10.1086/428009
• Hendry, R. (2003). Autonomy, Explanation, and Theoretical Values: Physicists and Chemists on Molecular Quantum Mechanics. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 988, 44-58. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2003.tb06084.x
• Hendry, R. (1999). Molecular models and the question of physicalism