Prof.Dr. Sven Walter
Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück
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Curriculum Vitae

Curriculcum Vitae


Affiliation

University of Osnabrück, Institute of Cognitive Science, Albrechtstraße 28, 31/416, D-49069 Osnabrück, Germany. email: mail[at]svenwalter[dot]eu.

Education

07/2005
(2002–2005)
PhD (with distinction, summa cum laude), University of Saarland, Germany:

Physicalism and Mental Causation: An Argument for Epiphenomenalism.

Supervisors: H.-D. HECKMANN (University of Saarland), A. NEWEN (University of Bochum), A. BECKERMANN (University of Bielefeld)
09/2001–
06/2002
graduate student, Ohio State University at Columbus, USA
11/2000 M.A., University of Bonn, Germany, with a Master´s Thesis on the Knowledge Argument:

Phänomenales Bewußtsein und das sprachphilosophische Problem indexikalischer Überzeugungen: Eine neue Sichtweise auf Frank Jacksons Knowledge Argument

Supervisors: U. NORTMANN (University of Saarland), R. STUHLMANN-LAEISZ (University of Bonn)
04/1995–
06/2000
B.A. studies of philosophy, University of Bonn, Germany (with logic and Dutch literature as minor subjects)

Academic Positions

since
11/2010
full professor of philosophy of mind, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Germany
06/2010–
11/2010
associate professor of philosophy of mind, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Germany
05/2007–
05/2010
assistant professor („Juniorprofessor“) of philosophy of mind, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Germany
01/2005–
04/2007
assistant professor („wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter“), Department of Philosophy, University of Bielefeld, Germany
07/2002–
12/2004
assistant („wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter“, 50%), Department of Philosophy, University of Saarland, Germany

Areas of Specialization

philosophy of mind, philosophy of cognition

Areas of Competence

philosophy of language, philosophy of biology, metaphysics, logic (teaching only)

Language Competences

German: native
English: fluent
Dutch: proficient
Croatian: rudimentary

Invited Talks

10/2013 »Situated affectivity: Status quo and future perspectives«, University of Bochum, Germany (conference talk)
02/2013 »Situated affectivity: Embodied, embedded, extended and enacted emotions« (together with Achim Stephan), Central APA, New Orleans, USA (conference talk)
12/2012 »Extended emotions« (together with Achim Stephan), University of Bauru, Brasil (conference talk)
10/2012 »Ist der Geist erweitert? Und was müssten wir wissen, um diese Frage beantworten zu können?«, University of Magdeburg, Germany (colloquium talk)
07/2012 »Situated affectivity« (together with Achim Stephan), University of Tübingen (conference talk)
04/2012 »Situated emotions« (together with Achim Stephan), University of Vienna, Austria (colloquium talk)
02/2012 »Situated affectivity« (together with Achim Stephan), University of Osnabrück, Germany (conference talk)
09/2011 »Situated emotions«, University of Delaware, USA (conference talk)
05/2011 »Embodied, embedded, extended and enacted realization«, Hebrew University Jerusalem, Israel (conference talk)
04/2011 »Wie frei sind wir?«, Forum für Philosophie, Frankfurt, Germany (colloquium talk)
11/2010 »Woher kommen unsere Gefühle und Gedanken?«, Osnabrücker Wissensforum, Germany (public relations talk)
10/2010 »Situated cognition«, University of Riga, Latvia (colloquium talk)
10/2010 »Wie frei sind wir?«, Hofheim bei Frankfurt, Germany (public relations talk)
05/2010 »Kognitionswissenschaft und Willensfreiheit«, University of Graz, Austria (colloquium talk)
05/2010 »Realization and extended cognition«, University of Rijeka, Croatia (conference talk)
04/2010 »Comments on  »Personal identity and extended cognition««, Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology, Atlanta, USA (conference talk)
02/2010 »Cognitive extension: parity, functionalism, and the mark of the cognitive«, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA (conference talk)
11/2009 »Ist der Wille frei?«, 2. Osnabrücker Wissensforum (public relations talk)
10/2009 »The where and what of cognition«, University of Belgrade, Serbia (conference talk)
05/2009 »Functionalism and extended cognition«, University of Rijeka, Croatia (conference talk)
03/2009 »Extended cognition« (together with Miriam Kyselo and Holger Lyre), University of Osnabrück, Germany (conference talk)
03/2009 »Denken wir nur im Kopf? Herausforderungen der Kognitionswissenschaft an die Psychologie« (together with Miriam Kyselo), University of Osnabrück, Germany (conference talk)
03/2009 »Denken wir nur im Kopf? Neue Perspektiven auf die Mensch-Maschine Interaktion«, University of Bielefeld, Germany (job talk)
01/2009 »Embodiment, memory, and the brain«, University of Bochum, Germany (job talk)
01/2009 »Kognitionswissenschaft, Willensfreiheit und unbewusste Handlungssteuerung«, University of Hannover, Germany (colloquium talk)
11/2008 »Reicht Intelligenz aus für Erfolg?«, 1. Osnabrücker Wissensforum (public relations talk)
11/2008 »Philosophie und Neurowissenschaften: Sinn und Unsinn«, Bewerbungsvortrag, Universityy of Magdeburg, Germany (job talk)
11/2008 »Originell, interdisziplinär, grenzüberschreitend – wissenschaftliche Karriere oder akademische Sackgasse?«, panel discussion of the VolkswagenStiftung, Hannover, Germany (public relations talk)
10/2008 »Es bleibt schwierig: Von den Unwägbarkeiten und Nöten des nicht-reduktiven Physikalismus«, University of Münster, Germany (conference talk)
10/2008 »Kognitionswissenschaft und Willensfreiheit«, University of Saarland, Germany (conference talk)
09/2008 »Comment on Dretske’s »The texture of conscious experience««, University of Heidelberg, Germany (conference talk)
06/2008 »KREATIV – INNOVATIV – GENIAL. Was brauchen Forscher, um gute Einfälle zu haben?«, panel discussion of the VolkswagenStiftung, Hannover, Germany (public relations talk)
11/2007 »What is consciousness good for? The evolutionary argument against epiphenomenalism«, University of Munich, Germany (colloquium talk)
11/2007 »Wir tun, was wir wollen. Aber warum?«, Forum für Philosophie, Frankfurt, Germany (colloquium talk) 
09/2006 »Does mind matter? And does it matter?«, Free University of Berlin, Germany  (conference talk)
10/2005 »Causal exclusion arguments against non-reductive, physicalism«, University of Tübingen, Germany (conference talk)
07/2005 »Mentale Verursachung: Warum Exklusionsargumente nicht funktionieren«, University of Saarland, Germany (colloquium talk) 
10/2004 »Mentale Verursachung: Warum Exklusionsargumente nicht funktionieren«, University of Bielefeld (job talk)
11/2003 »Comment on William Wimsatt«, Institut Jean Nicod, Paris, France (conference talk)
09/2003 »How to combine epiphenomenalism and reductionism, and why«, University of Bielefeld, Germany (conference talk)
12/2002 »The failure of non-reductive accounts of mental causation«, University of Magdeburg, Germany (conference talk)
06/2002 »Multiple Realisierung und psychophysische Eigenschaftsidentitäten«, University of Konstanz, Germany (colloquium talk) 
08/2001 »Multiple realization and disjunctive properties«, University of Saarland, Germany (conference talk)
05/2001 »Who is afraid of disjunctive properties?«, University of Cincinnati, OH, USA (colloquium talk)
01/2001 »Kripke’s modal argument and the identity-theory«, University of Tilburg, Netherlands (colloquium talk)
08/2000 »There is something about Mary, but physicalism can account for it«, Celje, Slovenia (conference talk)

Refereed Conference Talks

09/2009 »What is cognition?«, GAP.7, Bremen, Germany
08/2009 »Extended beliefs: Functionalism and belief integration«, Österreichische Ludwig Wittgenstein Gesellschaft, Kirchberg, Austria
06/2009 »Realization, causal powers, and mental causation«, conference on Metaphysics of Mind, Edinburgh, UK
09/2008 »Kognitionswissenschaft, Willensfreiheit und unbewusste Handlungssteuerung«, DGPhil, Duisburg/Essen, Germany 
08/2008 »The supervenience argument, levels, orders, and reduction«, Österreichische Ludwig Wittgenstein Gesellschaft, Kirchberg, Austria
09/2007 »Making sense of epiphenomenalism«, Spanish Society for Analytical Philosophy, Barcelona, Spain
06/2007 »Making sense of epiphenomenalism, 8. ÖGP Congress, Graz, Austria
09/2006 »Epistemological approaches to mental causation: Much ado about nothing?, GAP.6, Berlin, Germany
09/2005 »Die Kreativität des Mentalen als Kreativität des Gehirns: Eine Verteidigung des Epiphänomenalismus«, DGPhil, Berlin, Germany
11/2003 »Can program explanations save the causal relevance of mental properties?«, 7th Oxford Graduate Conference, UK
09/2003 »Can Yablo‘s determinable/determinate distinction save mental causation?«, GAP.5, Bielefeld, Germany
08/2003 »Can program explanations save the causal efficacy of beliefs?«, Österreichische Ludwig Wittgenstein Gesellschaft, Kirchberg, Austria
07/2003 »Can Yablo's determinable/determinate distinction save mental causation?«, ESPP, Turin, Italy
04/2003 »Multiple ralization and property-identities: An incompatible couple?«, SSPP, Atlanta, USA
08/2002 »Multiple realization and Property-Identities: An Incompatible Couple?«, Österreichische Ludwig Wittgenstein Gesellschaft, Kirchberg, Österreich
06/2002 »Multiple Realization and property-identities: An incompatible couple?«, ESPP, Lyon, France
01/2002 »Reduction with autonomy«, conference on Mind and Consciousness, Kharagpur, India
12/2001 »Multiple realization and disjunctive causal properties«, Spanish Society for Analytical Philosophy, Granada, Spain
11/2000 »Das Knowledge Argument, phänomenales Wissen und agenten-relative Repräsentationen«, GAP.4, Bielefeld, Germany

Professional Service

Organizational Activities

12.07.2012–
14-07.2012
international conference on Realization in Philosophy and Cognitive Science, Humboldt University Berlin in cooperation with the Institute of Cognitive Science at the University of Osnabrück (together with Beate Krickel)
20.01.2011–
22.01.2011
international graduate conference COXI MAP II and 2. William James Lectures at the Institute of Cognitive Science at the University of Osnabrück (together with Sascha Fink)
23.11.2009–
25.11.2009
international conference on The Extended Mind: Theory and Applications at the ZiF in Bielefeld (together with Holger Lyre and Ipke Wachsmuth)
14.09.2009–
15.09.2009
workshop during GAP.7 on Freiheit und Verantwortung: Revolutioniert die Kognitionswissenschaft Recht und Moral?, Bremen
01.04.2009–
04.04.2009
international graduate conference COXI MAP II and 1. William James Lectures at the Institute of Cognitive Science at the University of Osnabrück
14.09.2006–
16.09.2006
workshop during GAP.6 on Physicalism and Beyond, Berlin (together with Vera Hoffmann and Achim Stephan)
11.09.2006–
14.09.2006
international conference GAP.6 on Philosophie: Grundlagen und Anwendungen, Berlin (together with Ansgar Beckermann and Holm Tetens)
21.09.2003–
22.09.2003
workshop during GAP.5 on Epiphenomenalism: Dead End or Way out?, Bielefeld (together with Michael Pauen and Alexander Staudacher)
22.07.2002–
25.07.2002
international conference on Mental Causation: Does Mind Matter?, at the ZiF in Bielefeld (together with Ansgar Beckermann and Heinz-Dieter Heckmann)
29.08.2001–
08.2001
workshop on Mental Causation, Multiple Realization, and Emergence, Saarbrücken
26.05.2000–
27.05.2000
lecture series of John Perry (Stanford, CSLI) on Knowledge, Possibility, and Consciousness, Saarbrücken

Referee

Erkenntnis: April 2004, August 2005, August 2006, October 2006, January 2008, May 2009, November 2009, May 2010
Journal of Consciousness Studies: November 2002, September 2003, October 2005, June 2006, May 2013
Logical Analysis and History of Philosophy: September 2005, June 2009
Philosophy of Science: May 2005
Philosophical Explorations: September 2005, August 2011
Acta Analytica: Juli 2007
Grazer Philosophische Studien: October 2007, February 2010, January 2013
Synthese: May 2008
European Science Foundation: April 2008
International Journal of Philosophy: October 2008
Philosophical Papers: October 2008
Canadian Journal of Philosophy: May 2009
Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology: August 2009
Theoria: August 2009, October 2010
Cognitive Systems Research: March 2010
Dialectica: March 2010, April 2011
Oxford University Press: August 2009, August 2011
Routledge: June 2010
Philosophia Naturalis: March 2011, November 2012
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft: März 2011
Southern Journal of Philosophy: May 2011
Neuroethics: May 2011
CogSci 2013: Metareviewer

Memberships

Gesellschaft für analytische Philosophie
Gesellschaft für Kognitionswissenschaft
European Society for Philosophy and Psychology
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Philosophie
Society for Philosophy and Psychology
Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology

Administrational Work and Other Activities

since
09/2012
executive manager, German Society for Ananlytic Philosophy (GAP)
2012 jury member for the "Stegmüller-Preis" of the German Society for Analytic Philosophy (area: philosophy of mind)
2012 external member of a search comittee for an assistant professorship (W1) for neurophilosohy, University of Magdeburg
2011 member of a search comittee for an associate professorship (W2) for practical philosophy, Department of Philosophy, University of Osnabrück
2010 chairman of a search comittee for an assistant professorship (W1) for metaphysics and  philosophy of science,  Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück
since
04/2010
member of the senate commission ("Senatskommission") für Forschung und Nachwuchs (FNK), University of Osnabrück
2009 member of a search comittee for an assistant professorship (W1) for cognitive modeling, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück
2009 member of a search comittee for a full professorship (W3) for theoretical philosophy, Department of Philosophy, University of Osnabrück
since
04/2008
member of the study commission ("Studienkommission") of the Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück
since
04/2008
international coordinator, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück
since
04/2008
Erasmus coordinator, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück
04/2008–
10/2012
member of the PhD board ("Promotionsausschuss") of the Fachbereich 8 (Kognitionswissenschaft, Psychologie, Systemwissenschaft), University of Osnabrück
05/2005–
11/2006
executive manager, German Society for Ananlytic Philosophy (GAP)




Contact

phone: +49 542 969 3360
fax: +49 541 969 3381
email: mail[at]svenwalter[dot]eu

University of Osnabrück
Institute of Cognitive Science
Albrechtstraße 28, 31/416
D-49069 Osnabrück

www.svenwalter.eu

Opus Magnum

From April 2013 until March 2015, I was on research leave, funded by an Opus Magnum grant for a project entitled: »Illusion freier Wille? Grenzen einer empirischen Annäherung an ein philosophisches Problem«. 

Links

the philosophy of mind and cognition research group at Osnabrück: http://ikw.uni-osnabrueck.de/en/philo