John Dougherty

Dr. John Dougherty is an Assistant Professor at the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy (MCMP) within the Faculty of Philosophy, Science Theory, and Religious Studies at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. He holds a PhD in Philosophy from the University of California San Diego (2018) and BAs in Physics and the History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science and Medicine from the University of Chicago (2010). His research focuses on the interplay between mathematics and physics, particularly in quantum field theory, symmetry principles, and foundational questions in physics like black hole thermodynamics and spacetime structure.

Key research interests include: the role of mathematics in scientific representation, the philosophical implications of gauge theories and quantum field theory, and the analysis of symmetry in physical theories. Dougherty has contributed to debates on the hole argument, the interpretation of gauge symmetries, and the philosophical underpinnings of string theory reductions to general relativity.

His publications span topics such as the metaphysics of physical laws, constructive empiricism critiques, and the cluster decomposition principle in quantum field theory. Dougherty teaches courses on philosophy of physics, formal philosophy of science, and philosophy of mathematics at both undergraduate and graduate levels. He is actively involved in academic networks, including contributions to the nLab and participation in the Stack Exchange community.