Robert T. Pennock is University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University with appointments in its Lyman Briggs College and the departments of Philosophy and Computer Science & Engineering. Dr. Pennock received a BA with Honors in Biology and Philosophy from Earlham College in 1980 and earned his PH.D. in the History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Pittsburgh in 1991.
Dr. Pennock studies epistemic and ethical values in science and their connection to scientific methodology and practice. His empirical research involves questions at the intersection of evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and the scientific character, such as the evolution of altruism, complexity, and intelligence. His interdisciplinary philosophy of science work aims to help improve public understanding of science, to foster science ethics, and to advance STEM education nationally.
He was co-Founder and President of Michigan Citizens for Science, was an expert witness in the Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School Board Intelligent Design creationism case, and he develops educational software and instructional materials to help students learn about evolution and the nature of science using digital organisms.
Pennock directs the Vocational Virtues Project, which develops a virtue-based approach to understanding integrity and responsible conduct, and he is PI of the VERITIES Initiative, which applies this approach to RCR training at scale. He is also PI of the largest national study of the scientific ethical mindset, investigating scientists’ views of values in science and how these are learned and passed on. In 2019, he was elected President of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society.
In recognition of his science education and public outreach work, Pennock was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer, and a National Associate of the National Academies of Science. He has received numerous awards, including the National Center for Science Education’s Friend of Darwin Award, the American Institute of Biological Sciences Outstanding Service Award, and the International Society for Artificial Life Education & Outreach Award. His BEACON NSF Science & Technology Center received MSU’s Excellence in Diversity Award.
The author of over a hundred articles in philosophy, science, and education, his book Tower of Babel: The Evidence against the New Creationism was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. His latest book is An Instinct for Truth: Curiosity and the Moral Structure of Science.
- Contact: pennock5@msu.edu
- Curriculum Vitae
