Research
I work on the ethics, epistemology, and politics of the health and life sciences.
Right now, I am especially interested in big data biology, biotechnology, and biosocial science.
I'm also working on collaborative projects about "biological sex" in medicine and beyond.
Papers
DiMarco, M. "Models as Dogwhistles." Philosophy of Science 91(1): 72-89. [dogwhistles paper] (open access)
Zhao, H., M. DiMarco, K. Ichikawa, M. Boulicault, M. Perret, K. Jillson, A. Fair, K. DeJesus, and S. S. Richardson. (2023). "Making a ‘sex-difference fact’: Ambien dosing at the interface of policy, regulation, women’s health, and biology,'' Social Studies of Science 53 (4): 475-494. [ambien paper] (open access) [ambien thread]
DiMarco, M. "Cooperative Epistemic Trustworthiness." Philosophy of Science 90 (5): 1100 - 1109. [trust paper] (open access)
DiMarco, M. and K. Khalifa. (2022). "Sins of Inquiry: How to Criticize Scientific Pursuits." Studies in History and Philosophy of Science 92, 86-96. [sins paper] [sins talk ] [sins thread]
DiMarco, M. (2021). "Wishful Intelligibility, Black Boxes and Epidemiological Explanation,'' Philosophy of Science 88 (5): 824-834. [wishful conference paper] [wishful full paper] [wishful talk] [wishful thread]
DiMarco, M. (2020). "(re)Producing mtEve." Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences 83 (2020): 101290. [mtEve paper]
This paper won the 2021 Werner Callebaut Prize.
DiMarco, M. and K. Khalifa. (2019). "Inquiry Tickets: Values, Pursuit, and Underdetermination,'' Philosophy of Science 86 (5): 1016-1028. [inquiry tickets paper]
Invited, comments, reviews, etc.
DiMarco, M., H. Zhao, M. Boulicault, and S. S. Richardson. (2022). "Why 'Sex as a Biological Variable' Conflicts with Precision Medicine Initiatives." Cell Reports Medicine 3 (4): 100550. [SABV paper] (open access) [SABV explainer blog] [SABV thread]
DiMarco, M. (2020). "The Allan C. Wilson Papers at the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley," Mendel Newsletter 22, 6-11. [mendel newsletter]
Osman Attah, N., DiMarco, M., and A. Plutynski. (2020). "Microbiomes: Proportional Causes in Context," Biology & Philosophy 35 (22). [microbiomes paper]
Pop, public & media
K. Ichikawa, K. DeJesus, and M. DiMarco. (2023). "The risks of sex-based drug dosing recommendations." Vox [ambien vox]
DiMarco, M. (2022). "Black Boxes and Wishful Intelligibility." Scatterplot [black box blog]
DiMarco, M., A. Fair and B. Maldonado. (2022). "How to Be an Anti-Eugenicist." Gender Sci Blog [anti-eugenics blog]
Talks
Upcoming:
May 16-18: "Measuring and Extending Sex" (joint work with Aja Watkins),
as part of a symposium on Measurement Across the Life Sciences: Conceptual Issues
organized by Dana Matthiessen and Alan Love at SPSP, Columbia SC
We'll also be presenting this symposium at the PSA in November.
May 9-10: "Explanation Laundering"
Philosophy of Medicine Roundtable (online)
April 20: "Explanation Laundering"
Salem State University Undergraduate Philosophy Conference
Past:
March 2024: "Investment Feminism"
New Approaches to Business Ethics Workshop (joint work w/ Jamie Marsella, Joseph Dov Bruch, and Abbie Higgins)
March 2024: "Biological Sex Eliminativism" (joint work with Aja Watkins)
Tufts University Philosophy Colloquium
Sept. 2023: "Biological Sex Eliminativism" (joint work with Aja Watkins)
Washington University in St. Louis Philosophy Colloquium
July 2023: Biological Sex as Explanans and Explanandum (co-organized with Aja Watkins, Kyra Hoerr, Marion Boulicault, and Sarah Richardson)
at ISHPSSB Toronto
Nov. 2022 "Sex Eliminativism" (joint work with Aja Watkins)
at PhilInBioMed 2022, Pittsburgh
and at the 28th Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association, Pittsburgh [poster]
Nov. 2022 "Cooperative Epistemic Trustworthiness"
at the 28th Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association, Pittsburgh
Nov. 2021 "Wishful Intelligibility, Black Boxes, and Epidemiological Explanation''
at 27th Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association, Baltimore
Jan. 2021 "Models as Dogwhistles''
at 27th Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association, Baltimore [poster]
September 2021 "Weak and Strong Biosocial Science"
at Mechanisms in the Sciences: Integrating Social and Biological Perspectives Workshop, UNED Madrid
July 2021 "Biological Proportionality Contests"
at International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Study of Biology Biennial Meeting, Cold Spring Harbor
June 2021 "Variable Values: Causal Economy and Proportionality in Medicine''
at Philosophy and Methodology of Medicine, Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy
and at the 9th Philosophy of Medicine Roundtable, Michigan State University
May 2021 "On Hype and Pandemic Science" (joint work with Helen Zhao) [talk]
at Philosophy of Medicine on Covid-19
April 2021 "Empathy and Fallible Imagination''
at Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Engaging Humanities in Health, Pittsburgh
March 2021 ``Sins of Inquiry: How to Criticize Scientific Pursuits'' (joint work with Kareem Khalifa)
at Pursuitworthiness in Science Workshop, TU Eindhoven
Jan. 2021 "Models as Dogwhistles''
at the Philosophy of Science Association online poster forum
Oct. 2020 "Wishful Intelligibility''
at Conceptual and Methodological Aspects of Biomedical Research, Prague Meetings in Philosophy of Science
June 2020 "Unstable Intermediates: Integrating Biosocial Causes''
at Philosophy of Biology at the Mountains, Salt Lake City
July 2019 "Reproducing Mitochondrial Eve''
at International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Study of Biology Biennial Meeting, Oslo
Nov. 2018 ``Prediction Tickets: Values, Pursuit, and Underdetermination'' (joint work with Kareem Khalifa))
at 26th Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association, Seattle