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Technical University of Munich

Dr. Ph.D. Rena Beatrice Alcalay

Postdoctoral Researcher

Philosophy and History of Science and Technology

Rena Beatrice Alcalay (formerly Goldstein) is a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Science, Technology, and Society at the Technical University of Munich’s School of Social Sciences and Technology. She is part of the Philosophy of Open Science research group, funded by the European Research Council, whose work examines the conditions for fostering fair and equitable research practices in diverse contexts. Her expertise lies in social and applied epistemology, with a focus on open science, the philosophy of life, and the biomedical sciences. 

Her research also centers on on exegetical examinations of Ludwig Wittgenstein's works, specifically the Philosophical Investigations and On Certainty, with a particular focus to questions that have arisen in hinge epistemology and social psychology. Her primary interest lies in clarifying the nature of hinges and their potential normativity, shedding light on the phenomenon of groundless prejudices and stereotype, and its implication for the field of medicine and education.

  • Social and applied epistemology
  • Open science
  • Biomedical sciences
  • Feminist Epistemology

Alcalay R. and Vandekerckhove, J. (Forthcoming). “Extractivism and Epistemic Disadvantage in Open Science Practices.”

Leonelli, S. Castańo, P., Alcalay, R. (Forthcoming). “Openness and Inequity in Scientific Research” Social Epistemology.

Alcalay, R. and Darby Vickers. “A Pedagogical Pathway Narrowing Gender and Race Gaps in Academic Philosophy.” In Educating Philosophers: A Handbook of Best Practice, edited by Kenneth R. Westphal and Mark Addis (under review with publishers).

Published under the surname Goldstein

Goldstein, R. (2024). Epistemic Injustice in the Medical Context: Introduction to Special Issue. Social Epistemology, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1080/02691728.2024.2400096 

Goldstein, R. (2023). “Holistic Similarities Between Quine and Wittgenstein.” Philosophical Investigations. https://doi.org/10.1111/phin.12405 

Goldstein, R. (2022). “Epistemic Disadvantage.” Philosophia. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11406-021-00465-w. 

Sarnecka, B. W., Silva, P. N., Vickers, D. C., Coon, J., Goldstein, R. & Rouder, J. N. (2022). “Doctoral writing workshops: A pre-registered, randomized controlled trial.” Innovative Higher Education. doi.org/10.1007/s10755-021-09574-6

Flagler College
Cellmates
This course combines on-campus reading and discussions with the art project Cellmates, where students engage with young men at St. Johns Youth Academy through activities like letter-writing, image-sharing, and group interactions. These experiences aim to explore cultural factors that influence privilege and build a supportive network for the youth involved. Additionally, assigned readings and exercises will help students understand systemic barriers to equality.               

                                      
Controversial Ethics  
First Year Seminar
University of California Irvine

Medical Humanities 1. Health, Wellness, and Conception of the Body
Contemporary Moral Problems
Medical Epistemology
Puzzles and Paradoxes
Composition
Critical Thinking
Introduction to Philosophy
 

 

  • Epistemology
  • Ethics
  • Philosophy of Science

  • Philosophy of Education Society Meeting, Philosophy of Education Society, Baltimore, MD, March 6-10, 2025.
  • Unitarian Universalist Congregation, St. Augustine, Florida, November 20, 2024. Philosophy and Religion Speaker Series, Flagler College, September 19, 2024
  • Philosophy of Science and Epistemology conference, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, June 27- 29, 2024.
  • North American Association for Philosophy & Education, Mundelein, Illinois, October 2023.
  • Epistemic Injustice in the Medical Context. University of California, Irvine, November 2022.
  • Philosophy of Education Summer School, Wisconsin, June 2023
  • International Ludwig Wittgenstein Symposium, Online, Zagreb, Croatia, December 2021. Society for Philosophy and Psychology, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, June 2023.
  • North American Association for Philosophy & Education, Mundelein, Illinois, October 2021.
  • 3rd Hinge Epistemology Conference: Hinge Epistemology and Religious Belief, NOVA University of Lisbon – School of Social Sciences and Humanities – IFILNOVA, June 2022. American Philosophical Association Central Division, Chicago, Illinois, February 2022. North American Association for Philosophy & Education, Mundelein, Illinois, October 2021.
  • A Socially Distant Value Theory Conference, Online, June 2020
  • Feminist-Pragmatist Colloquium 2019: Looking Back to Move Forward, Rochester, NY, November 2019.
  • Feminist Salon, Los Angeles, CA, October 2019.
  • Stanford-Berkeley-Davis Conference, University of California, Berkeley, May 2019. Northwest Philosophy Conference, Gonzaga University, Spokane W.A., October 2016.
  • Virtues, Media, and Democracy, Genoa, Italy, September 2019.
  • Suffering and Virtue, Michael S. Brady, UC Irvine, September 2019.
  • Philosophy in Schools and the Public Realm: A Research Workshop. Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, the Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics, and the Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization, May 2019
  • Philosophy of Education Society Meeting, Chicago, March 2023
  • North American Association for Philosophy and Education, University of Saint Mary of the Lake, Illinois, October 2022.
  • The 2019 Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Society Meeting, New Orleans, March 2019.
  • North American Association for Philosophy and Education Conference, University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, IL., October 2018.
  • AGS Graduate Research Symposium, Irvine, CA, March 2018

Referee 

History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences

Educational Sciences, MDPI Open Access Journal 

Philosophies, MDPI Open Access Journal 

North American Association for Philosophy and Education

Memberships

American Educational Research Association

Philosophy of Education Society (since 2023)

Public Philosophy Network (since 2019)

North American Association for Philosophy and Education (since 2018)

Friends of the SEP Society (since 2018)

Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Society (since 2017)

Minorities in Philosophy (MAP) (since 2017)

American Philosophical Association (since 2011)

FELLOWSHIPS and GRANTS

Grant: Humanities Commons Award, “Epistemic Injustice in the Medical Context” Conference, 2021

Grant: Center for Medical Humanities Award, “Epistemic Injustice in the Medical Context” Conference, 2021

Grant: Center for Medical Humanities Award, “Equity in STEM”, 2021

Grant: Inclusive Excellence Award, “Equity in STEM” project, 2021

Fellowship: Andrew W. Mellon Foundation “Inequality in STEM Researcher”, 2020-2021

Fellowship: Kavka Endowed Prize, University of California, Irvine, 2019

George Kabango Memorial Fellowship, North American Association for Philosophy & Education, 2018

UC Irvine Diversity Recruitment Fellowship, 2017

Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel Scholarship, 2014- 2016

Graduate Equity Fellowship, California State University, Los Angeles, 2014- 2016

CCOE Endowed Fellowship, Charter College of Education, 2015- 2017

AWARDS and HONORS

Svetlana Bershadsky Graduate Student Community Award, 2020-2021 

Graduate Student/Faculty Mentor for Exceptional Scholarship, CSULA, 2015-2017

 

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