Telmo Pievani is Full Professor at the Department of Biology, University of Padua, where he covers the first Italian chair of Philosophy of Biological Sciences. He also teaches Bioethics and Science Communication. Since October 2016, he is Rector’s Delegate for Institutional Communication, University of Padua. Researcher in the field of Philosophy of Biology, after Ph.D. researches in USA, he has been Professor of Philosophy of Science at the University of Milan Bicocca (2001-2012). From 2017 to 2019, he has been President of the Italian Society of Evolutionary Biology. He is Fellow of several academic Institutions and scientific societies: Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, Class of Sciences, Venice; Turin Academy of Sciences, Class of Biological Sciences; Accademia Olimpica in Vicenza, Class of Sciences and Technique; “Umberto Veronesi” Foundation for the Progress of Sciences, Milan; Istituto Italiano di Antropologia, Steering Board, Rome. He is member of the editorial board of Evolution: Education and Outreach, Evolutionary Biology, Rend. Lincei Sc. Fis. Nat., and Le Scienze, Italian edition of Scientific American. He is author of 256 registered publications, included several books: “Introduction to Philosophy of Biology” (Laterza, 2005; Portuguese edition 2010); “The Theory of Evolution” (Il Mulino, 2006, new edition 2010); “Creation without God” (Einaudi, 2006; Spanish edition 2009); “In Defence of Darwin” (Bompiani, 2007); “Born to Believe” (Codice Edizioni, 2008, with V. Girotto and G. Vallortigara); “The Unexpected Life” (Cortina Editore, 2011); “Homo sapiens. The Great History of Human Diversity” (Codice Edizioni, 2011, with L.L. Cavalli Sforza), “Introduction to Darwin” (Laterza, 2012); “The End of the World” (Il Mulino, 2012); “Homo sapiens. The journey of humanity” (Atlas, Istituto Geografico De Agostini, 2013; French edition 2014); “Anatomy of a Revolution. The logic of scientific discovery in Darwin” (Mimesis, 2013); “Evolved and abandoned” (Einaudi, 2014); “Freedom of migration” (Einaudi, 2016, with V. Calzolaio); Imperfection (Cortina, 2019). He has been fellow of the Scientific Board of Genoa Science Festival (2003-2011), now he is fellow of the Scientific Board of BergamoScienza, and since 2014 he is fellow of the International Scientific Council of MUSE – Museum of Sciences in Trento. He is Director of “Pikaia”, the Italian website dedicated to evolution (www.pikaia.eu). With Niles Eldredge and Ian Tattersall, he was the Curator of the Italian edition of the International exhibition “Darwin 1809-2009” (Rome, Milan, Bari, 2009-2010; www.darwin2009.it). With Luigi Luca Cavalli Sforza he was Curator of the International exhibition “Homo sapiens. The Great History of Human Diversity”, hosted in Rome, November 2011-April 2012, at the Palace of Expositions (then in Trento, Novara and Milan). In 2014 he curated the new permanent exhibitions of the “Garden of Biodiversity”, inside the historical Botanical Garden of Padua. In 2017 he co-curated the International exhibition “DNA. The book of life from Mendel to genomics” (Palace of Expositions, Rome, February-June 2017). Since 2017, he is a scientific and communication consultant for Parco Natura Viva, Italy. He is a columnist for Il Corriere della Sera, and the magazines Le Scienze and Micromega.

Curriculum PDF File

Telmo Pievani’s current main research interests are in the field of philosophy of evolutionary biology: - Philosophy of Biology; - History of ideas in biological thought; - The Structure of Evolutionary Theory; - Gradualism, adaptationism, reductionism, pluralism; - Punctuated Equilibria Theory; - Hierarchy Theory of Evolution; - Multilevel selection; - The concept of exaptation; - Structuralism and functionalism in biology; - Charles Darwin's work and logic of discovery: the Transmutation Notebooks 1836-1844 - Darwin's Heritage in XX and XXI Centuries; - Stephen J. Gould’s work and heritage; - Philosophy of epigenetics; - Nature and nurture problem; - Human evolution (hominin phylogeny); - The communication of science in evolutionary fields.

Last update: 31/07/2024