Dimitra Sfendoni - Mentzou

Dimitra Sfendoni-Mentzou is a Professor of Philosophy of Science at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She has also taught at York University in Toronto, Canada, Ohio State University (U.S.A.), University of Miami (U.S.A.), Mount Holyoke College (MA, U.S.A.), Vrije Universiteit (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), University of Pittsburgh (U.S.A.), and Pomona College (California, U.S.A.). She has conducted research as a British Council Fellow at the University of Oxford and as a Fulbright Fellow at Harvard University. In 1987, she was one of the ten Greek candidates for the "Woman of Europe" award by the Council of Europe. She has participated in international conferences in Toronto, Dubrovnik, Buffalo, Moscow, Beijing, Warsaw, Thessaloniki, Athens, Brussels, Padua, Lecce, Sao Paulo, and Seoul. Her research and teaching focus on the Philosophy of Science, the Philosophy of Pragmatism of C. S. Peirce, and Aristotelian Natural Philosophy in relation to contemporary scientific thought. She is the author of the following books: "Probability and Chance in the Philosophy of C. S. Peirce" (doctoral dissertation, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 1980), "Pragmatism-Rationalism-Empiricism" (Thessaloniki: Ziti Publications, 2004), "Philosophy of Science" (Thessaloniki: Ziti Publications, 2004), and "Aristotle Today. Aspects of Aristotelian Natural Philosophy in the Light of Contemporary Science" (Thessaloniki: Ziti Publications, 2010). She has published a large number of scholarly studies in reputable Greek and international journals and collective volumes. Her activities to promote philosophy and philosophical dialogue include organizing the following conferences: International Conference, "Aristotle and Contemporary Science," Thessaloniki, September 1-4, 1997 (Chair of the Scientific and Organizing Committee), International Conference, "Aristotle Today," September 20-23, 2001, Mieza-Naousa (Member of the Organizing and Scientific Committee), 10th Panhellenic Conference of the Greek Philosophical Society "Philosophy of Science," May 6-8, 2006, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Chair of the Organizing and Scientific Committee), 11th Panhellenic Conference of the Greek Philosophical Society, "The Concept of the Subject and Its Transformations," October 17-19, 2008, Patras (Conference Chair, Member of the Scientific Committee). Additionally, she has supervised a large number of Master's and Doctoral Theses and has been involved in the following research programs: "Aristotelian Philosophy and Contemporary Scientific Thought," funded by the Research Committee of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, "Movement, Alteration, and Change in the Aristotelian Dynamic Model of Nature," within the framework of the Operational Program for Education and Initial Vocational Training "Heraclitus," co-funded by the European Community Fund and National Resources. Her activities aimed at fostering international collaborations among various Higher Education Institutions include the following positions: Member of the International Relations Committee of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2003-2006), Representative of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki at the Inter-University Centre in Dubrovnik, Coordinator of the Erasmus programs of Aristotle University with the Universities of Padova and Amsterdam, Coordinator of Scientific Agreements between Aristotle University and York University (Canada), Ohio State University (U.S.A.), and the University of Waikato (New Zealand). She served twice as Vice President and five times as President (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2010) of the "Fulbright Scholars Association": Northern Greece Chapter, Vice President of the Hellenic Philosophical Society (2004-2006), and President (2006-2008). During her presidency, the Hellenic Philosophical Society successfully secured, for the first time since 1900, the mandate from the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP) to host the 23rd World Congress of Philosophy in Athens in 2013 (http://sfendoniwcp2013news.blogspot.com/). Currently, she is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Philosophical Society, Vice President of the Greek Organizing Committee, Member of the International Program Committee of the 23rd World Congress of Philosophy, and President of the "Interdisciplinary Centre for Aristotle Studies" at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (www.dikam.auth.gr).