research overview
- Dr. Cleland's current research is in the area of philosophy of science: (1) the methodology and justification of the historical natural sciences and how these practices differ from those of classical experimental science (2) differences in methodology between historical and non-historical field sciences (3) the structure of scientific theories and role of anomalies in scientific discovery, (4) Issues in Philosophy of Biology (nature of life, conceptual problems with theories of the origins and nature of life, the possibility of a 'shadow biosphere'(a term she coined), and microbiology. In addition to her work in philosophy of science she has contributed to the philosophical literature on causation, the structure of space, the concept of supervenience, and the concept of an event. In philosophy of logic, she has written several, now classic, papers on the Church-Turing thesis, effective procedures, and hypercomputation. Dr Cleland often works closely with scientists on issues in the philosophy of science.