Matthew Coates

Matthew Coates is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Bowling Green State University, Ohio, specializing in Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law (PPEL), and a Ph.D. candidate in Logic and Philosophy of Science at the University of California, Irvine (expected 2025).

His educational background includes:

• Ph.D. Candidate in Philosophy (Logic and Philosophy of Science), University of California, Irvine (2025 expected)
• MSc in Philosophy of Science, The London School of Economics and Political Science (2017-2018)
• BSc (Hons) in Mathematics, Queen Mary, University of London (2014-2017)

Coates' research integrates computational methods with philosophical inquiry, focusing on network epistemology—examining how information flows in social networks—and evolutionary game theory to model cooperation and moral behavior. He also explores philosophy of economics, biology, science policy, and early analytic philosophy, particularly John Maynard Keynes' interactions with Wittgenstein, Russell, and Moore. His methodology combines formal modeling with historical analysis to address questions about scientific consensus and dissent.

His publications reveal a strong interdisciplinary trend, merging philosophy with computational biology (e.g., earthworm distribution modeling) and social dynamics. This reflects his commitment to applying network theory across domains, from scientific communities to ecological systems, demonstrating how structural factors influence knowledge production and biological adaptation.

His scientific recognition includes:

• LPS Graduate Service Award, UC Irvine (2024)
• LPS Graduate Service Award, UC Irvine (2023)
• Social Science Merit Fellowship, UC Irvine (2019-2025)

Coates has contributed to significant research initiatives as a Graduate Student Researcher on NSF grant 1922424 ('Consensus, Democracy, and the Public Understanding of Science') during summers 2020-2021, investigating dissent in scientific communities. He also served as a researcher at the Natural History Museum London (2017-2019), modeling climate impacts on earthworm populations. Academically, he has organized the 'Values, Fairness, and Machine Learning' conference at UC Irvine and the 'Modeling the Social Structure of Science' symposium for the Philosophy, Politics and Economics Society.

He actively participates in academic service through coordinating UC Irvine's Work-in-Progress talk series, serving as a reviewer for conferences, and co-organizing workshops on computational social philosophy, demonstrating leadership in fostering interdisciplinary dialogue.