Franz Berto

Professor Franz Berto holds the position of Professor of Logic and Metaphysics at the University of St Andrews, where he also serves as Director of the Arché Philosophical Research Centre for Logic, Language, Metaphysics and Epistemology. Additionally, he maintains an affiliation with the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC) at the University of Amsterdam, where he has taught in the Master in Science of Logic program. His academic journey includes previous appointments at the University of Aberdeen, the Institute for Advanced Study at the University of Notre Dame, the Sorbonne-Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, and several Italian universities including Padua, Venice, and Milan-San Raffaele.

Professor Berto's research spans multiple areas of philosophical inquiry with particular focus on non-classical logics, impossible worlds, and the philosophical implications of computation. His work demonstrates a distinctive approach that bridges analytic and continental traditions, with special interest in logical paradoxes and their metaphysical implications. He has made significant contributions to understanding how imagination functions in epistemic contexts and how counterfactual reasoning operates across different domains of inquiry.

His recent publications reveal a consistent trajectory examining the intersection of logic, epistemology, and metaphysics, with increasing attention to hyperintensional approaches that go beyond traditional possible worlds semantics. The trend shows growing sophistication in modeling cognitive processes related to imagination, belief revision, and counterfactual reasoning, often incorporating insights from computer science and cognitive psychology.

• Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE, 2022)
• Honorary Chaire Mercier, Institut Supérieur de Philosophie, Université Catholique de Louvain (2020)
• José Gaos Honorary Chair, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM, 2023)

Professor Berto has successfully secured substantial research funding including an ERC Consolidator grant of €2,000,000 for 'The Logic of Conceivability' project (2016-2022), a Leverhulme Trust grant of £500,000 for 'What If? Knowing By Imagining [WIKI]' (2025-2028), and an AHRC Early Career Researcher grant of £240,000 for 'The Metaphysical Basis of Logic' (2013-2015). His supervision portfolio includes doctoral students working on diverse topics ranging from modal epistemology to the philosophy of computation, with several securing prestigious fellowships. As Editor-in-Chief of The Philosophical Quarterly since 2020, he plays a significant role in shaping contemporary philosophical discourse.

Professor Berto leads research within the Arché Philosophical Research Centre at St Andrews, a world-renowned hub for work in metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophical logic. His current projects involve collaborations with researchers across Europe and North America, particularly focusing on the logical structure of imagination and counterfactual reasoning. The 'What If?' project brings together philosophers, cognitive scientists, and computer scientists to develop a comprehensive framework for understanding how imagination serves as a tool for knowledge acquisition.