Sociology of chemistry

Our approach to the sociology of chemistry is a data-driven one and our research topics include the interplay between the social, the semiotic and the material systems of chemistry and how this interaction leads to the evolution of chemical knowledge. Other topics of our research involve mathematical and computational approaches to biography and award systems such as the Nobel Prize and the raise of mathematical chemistry as a new branch of chemistry. Our research is based on formal mathematical settings, mainly drawing upon discrete mathematics, as well as scientometric methods.

So far this research has been mainly conducted by scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences, Richmond University and University of Sheffield, but we are open to further collaboration with scientists and scholars of other institutions. There are also several research projects available for MSc and PhD students, as well as for postdocs.

Questions related to this research topic can be addressed to Guillermo Restrepo at restrepo@mis.mpg.de or guillermorestrepo@gmail.com.

References:

  1. Seeman, J.; Restrepo, G. Rolf Huisgen, Eminent Chemist, Born June 13, 1920. In His Own Words and In His Publication Metrics. Angew. Chem. Int. Edit. 2020, 59, 12250.

  2. Seeman, J.; Restrepo, G. The mutation of the “Nobel Prize in chemistry” into the “Nobel Prize in chemistry or life sciences”: several decades of transparent and opaque evidence of change within the Nobel Prize program. Angew. Chem. Int. Edit. 2020, 59, 2942.

  3. Llanos, E. J.; Leal, W.; Luu, D. H.; Jost, J.; Stadler, P. F.; Restrepo, G. Exploration of the chemical space and its three historical regimes. P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2019, 116, 12660-12665.

  4. Restrepo, G; Stadler, P. F.; Jost, J. Editorial. MATCH Commun. Math. Comput. Chem. 2018, 80, 541-545.

  5. Restrepo, G.; Willett, P. The Journal of Mathematical Chemistry: A Bibliometric Profile. J. Math. Chem. 2017, 55, 1589-1596.

  6. Restrepo, G.; Willett, P. A bibliometric profile of MATCH Communicationsin Mathematical and in Computer Chemistry. MATCH Commun. Math. Comput. Chem. 2017, 77, 235-242.

  7. Restrepo, G. Lemont B. Kier: art, science and green cheese. Curr. Comput-Aid Drug. 2016, 12, 314-324.

  1. Restrepo, G.; Llanos, E. J.; Silva, A. E. Lemont B. Kier: a bibliometric exploration of his scientific production and its use. Curr. Comput-Aid Drug. 2013, 9, 491-505.

  2. Restrepo, G.; Villaveces, J. L. Discrete mathematical chemistry: social aspects of its emergence and reception. HYLE – Int. J. Phil. Chem., 2013, 19, 19-33.

  3. Restrepo, G. To mathematize, or not to mathematize chemistry. Found. Chem. 2013, 15, 185-197.

  4. Restrepo, G. Mathematical chemistry, a new discipline. In Essays in the philosophy of chemistry, Scerri, E.; Fisher, G., Eds.; Oxford University Press: New York, UK, 2016; Chapter 15, 332-351.