College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Fisheries and Wildlife

Joint Appointment with Lyman Briggs College

Areas of Expertise:

Environmental ethics; philosophy of science; research ethics; values in science

Education:

Ph.D., History and Philosophy of Science, University of Notre Dame, 2004
M.A., History and Philosophy of Science, University of Notre Dame, 2002
B.S., Chemistry and Philosophy, Wheaton College, 1997

Background:

Kevin Elliott is jointly appointed in MSU’s Lyman Briggs College, the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, and the Department of Philosophy. He is a philosopher who studies the role of values in science as well as a range of ethical issues related to science and technology. Much of his scholarship is related to social issues raised by environmental pollution, and he is the author of the book Is a Little Pollution Good for You? Incorporating Societal Values in Environmental Research (Oxford University Press, 2011). He is currently leading an NSF grant to study how diversity within environmental science teams affects their ethical standards and practices. He teaches courses related to the philosophy of science, science policy, and conservation ethics.

Click here to view Kevin Elliott's profile on the Lyman Briggs College web page.

Research Interests:

• Investigating the roles of ethical and social values in environmental research
• Exploring how to respond to financial conflicts of interest in research
• Studying ethical issues surrounding science communication
• Investigating how to motivate public action to address environmental issues
• Exploring ethical issues surrounding emerging technologies
• Examining the process of scientific discovery, including the role of “exploratory” research and the process of responding to errors and anomalies

Publications:

 MSU Scholar Profile