Our Team

Institute's research fellows

Claudia Vanney

Director

Holds PhD degrees in physics (Universidad de Buenos Aires) and in philosophy (Universidad de Navarra). She is full professor of physics, the director of the Philosophy Institute, and member of the governing board of Universidad Austral (Argentina). Her main research interests refer to the interdisciplinary dialogue, including issues in philosophy of science (e.g. models and scientific theories), in philosophy of physics (e.g. interpretations of quantum mechanics) and in science and religion (e.g. randomness in nature and divine action). She was the director of several interdisciplinary research projects, such as Determinism and Indeterminism: From Science to Philosophy in Spanish Speaking Academia. She is one of the editors of the Spanish Interdisciplinary Dictionary in Science, Philosophy and Theology. Prof. Vanney is the author of many publications in physics and in philosophy, includingPrincipios Reales y Conocimiento Matemático (Pamplona: EUNSA, 2008). In 1993, 1994 and 1995 she received the Scientific and Technology Prize from the Universidad de Buenos Aires. She has been visiting scholar at Universidad de Navarra (Spain) and at the University of Oxford (United Kingdom). Prof. Vanney is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of ZygonArborStudia PolianaNaturaleza y Libertad and Quaerentibus.

Belén Mesurado

Sub-Director

Bachelor of Psychology from the University of North Santo Tomás de Aquino (2003) and Doctor of Psychology from the National University of San Luis (2010). Additionally, she is an independent researcher at the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET), based at the Institute of Philosophy of the Austral University, where she also holds the position of Deputy Director.

Dr. Mesurado is the Director of the Psychology Program at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences at Austral University and holds the position of Full Professor Level I in the subjects of Quantitative Research Methodology and Psychometrics.

Ignacio Silva

Research Fellow

Ignacio Silva holds a DPhil in Theology and an MSt in Science and Religion from the University of Oxford (UK). Additionally, he has a License degree in Philosophy from the Universidad Católica Argentina. He authored “Indeterminismo en la Naturaleza y Mecánica Cuántica: Wener Heisenberg y Tomás de Aquino” (Eunsa 2011), served as the editor of “Latin American Perspectives on Science and Religion” (Pickering & Chatto 2014), and has contributed to numerous journal articles in his field. Previously, he held the position of Research Fellow at Harris Manchester College and the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion (University of Oxford). His projects focused on special divine action and the intersections of science, philosophy, and theology in Latin America. In 2018, Dr. Silva joined the Instituto de Filosofía, where he continues his research on human and divine providence.

Dr. Silva is a member of the International Society for Science and Religion and serves on the scientific and advisory boards of several international academic journals, including Scientia et Fides, Studium. Filosofía y Teología, Quaerentibus. Teología y Ciencias, and TheoLogica.

Juan Francisco Franck

Juan Francisco Franck

PhD in Philosophy from the Internationale Akademie für Philosophie (Liechtenstein) and completed postdoctoral studies in the United States, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain. He is the author of the book «From the Nature of the Mind to Personal Dignity» (CUA Press 2006) and has authored numerous articles in his field. Between 2005 and 2010, he conducted research at the Universidad Católica Argentina, focusing on the issues of corporeality and topics in the philosophy of knowledge.

He joined the Institute of Philosophy at the Universidad Austral, where he shifted his focus to the philosophy of neuroscience. In his presentations and works, he aims to integrate different approaches (classical, modern, phenomenological, analytical) when addressing philosophical issues posed by neuroscience. Additionally, he serves as a professor of Modern Philosophy at the Universidad del Norte Santo Tomás de Aquino.

Olimpia Iris Lombardi

Research Fellow

Electronic Engineer from the UBA Faculty of Engineering, Bachelor and Doctor in Philosophy from the UBA. She is a Principal Researcher of CONICET in the area of Philosophy, with an orientation in Philosophy of Science.

Her specialty is the philosophy of physics and chemistry, areas of very little development in our country. She currently leads a research group dedicated to the philosophy of the particular sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, formal sciences), within the framework of which several CONICET researchers have been trained, as well as numerous thesis students and fellows from both the country and others Latin American countries. The group has an intense research activity (publications and presentations to academic events) and a strong national and international presence.

Juan José Sanguineti

Research Fellow

PhD in Philosophy (Universidad de Navarra, Spain). He is Professor of Philosophy of Knowledge at the School of Philosophy at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Rome). He has published fifteen books and nearly a hundred scientific articles on theory of knowledge, philosophy of science, philosophy of nature, philosophy of mind and the neurosciences. He was Director of the Scientific Committee of the Project STOQ III (Rome, 2007-2010, University of the Holy Cross, area of Neurosciences). He regularly delivers graduate courses and seminars at different universities in Latin America. He is ordinary member of the Pontifical Roman Academy of Saint Thomas and of the Sociedad Tomista Argentina. He is a member of the scientific committee of the journal Acta Philosophica (University of the Holy Cross).

Ivana Anton Mlinar

Research Fellow

PhD in Philosophy from the National University of Cuyo – UNCuyo (as a grantee from DAAD in the Husserl-Archiv of the Cologne University, Germany). She is a Junior Researcher at the National Council of Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET) and she is Professor of Philosophy of Language at the UNCuyo. She is director of the journals Philosophia and Revista de Fenomenología y Ciencia Cognitiva (with Jethro Masís). She directs the research project “Fenomenología y neurociencias: perspectivas en torno a la empatía” (UNCuyo) [Fenomenology and Neuroscience: Perspectives on Empathy]

María José Ferreira Ruiz

Researcher and professor with a part-time dedication.

bachelor’s and a doctoral degree in philosophy from the University of Buenos Aires, having pursued her doctorate with a scholarship from CONICET. Her work primarily focuses on philosophy of biology, including topics such as parity theses, the problem of causal selection, and informational ascriptions in biology. She also delves into natural classes and dispositional properties. She has published and presented her research extensively on both regional and international platforms. Currently, she is concluding a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Geneva, which will be followed by a continuation of her research at the University of Bielefeld.

Sebastián Fortin

Researcher and professor with a part-time dedication.

Holder of a Bachelor’s and Doctoral degree in Physics from the University of Buenos Aires, as well as a Doctoral degree in Epistemology and History of Science from the National University of Tres de Febrero. He is an Associate Researcher at CONICET and serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences of the University of Buenos Aires. His expertise lies in philosophy of physics, particularly quantum mechanics. He also engages in philosophy of chemistry.

Federico Holik

Researcher and professor with a part-time dedication.

Doctoral degree in Physics. He defended his doctoral thesis at the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina). He completed postdoctoral stays at the Institute of Physics La Plata (Argentina) and at Université Paris Diderot (France). Currently, he is an Associate Researcher at CONICET at the Institute of Physics La Plata.

Martín Labarca

Researcher and professor with a part-time dedication.

Doctorate with a Mention in Social and Human Sciences (National University of Quilmes), a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry (National University of La Pampa), and a Teaching degree in Chemistry (Instituto Superior de Formación Docente N°45, Buenos Aires). He is an Independent Researcher at CONICET. He has served as a Visiting Researcher at universities in Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay. His specialization lies in philosophy of chemistry, an area in which he has published works in philosophical, scientific, and international chemistry education journals. He is a member of the Association of Philosophy and History of Science of the Southern Cone and the International Society for the Philosophy of Chemistry.

Marcelo Losada

Researcher and professor with a part-time dedication.

Bachelor’s and Doctoral degree in Physical Sciences from the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina). He conducted postdoctoral stays at the University of Buenos Aires and at the Università degli Studi di Cagliari (Italy). His work focuses on the foundations of quantum mechanics and quantum information, primarily in the formalism of quantum histories and the interpretation of quantum mechanics.

Juan Camilo Martínez González

Researcher and professor with a part-time dedication.

Ph.D. in History and Epistemology of Sciences (National University of Tres de Febrero, Buenos Aires, Argentina) and a professor of Chemistry (Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Bogotá, Colombia). Currently serving as the secretary of the International Society for Philosophy of Chemistry and a postdoctoral fellow with support from the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET). His area of expertise lies in the philosophy and history of chemistry, specifically in the models of covalent bonding, electronegativity scales, and the quantum-mechanical description of molecular structure.

Associate fellows from other faculties at UA

Ignacio Aguinalde

Researcher and professor with full dedication at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences.

has a degree in Philosophy and in Psychology, both from Universidad Católica Argentina. He is author of an introductory study to and an annotated translation into Spanish of Thomas Aquinas’ commentary on Aristotle’s On generation and corruptionThe principles of nature, and other cosmological opuscula (Eunsa, 2005), and of the book Psychology(EDUCA 2009). He has collaborated with research projects of the University of Navarra. His areas of interest are the philosophy of nature, epistemology and cognitive psychology. He teaches Philosophical Anthropology and Statistics at the Biomedical School of Austral University. At present, he is at the end stage of his doctoral thesis on John Searle’s philosophy of mind.

Mariano Asla

Researcher and professor with full dedication at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences.

Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the Universidad Católica Argentina and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Navarra. He is the author of the book «La gramática moral universal: ¿Una aproximación cognitivista a la ley moral?» (The Universal Moral Grammar: A Cognitive Approach to Moral Law?), published by EUNSA. He serves as an Associate Professor of Philosophical Anthropology and Ethics at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences at the Universidad Austral. He also serves as a member of the Ethics in Medicine Council (CAEEM) of the National Academy of Medicine. His primary focus of interest is philosophical naturalism, particularly in areas such as cognitive sciences of morality and religion, philosophy of pain, as well as the question of human universals and innatism.

Soledad Paladino

Researcher and professor with full dedication at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences.

Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the Universidad Austral, Surgical Instrumentation degree from the Hospital Italiano (Buenos Aires), and a Doctorate in Theology from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Rome). She is the author of the book «Autonomía teónoma y teonomía participada. Hacia una comprensión de la justa autonomía moral a partir de ‘Veritatis splendor'» (Theonomous Autonomy and Participated Theonomy: Towards an Understanding of Just Moral Autonomy from ‘Veritatis splendor’), published by EDUSC. She serves as an Associate Professor of Ethics and Theology at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences at the Universidad Austral. Currently, she is engaged in a research project on the ethical issues of using Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and healthcare.

Ignacio Garay

Researcher and professor with part-time dedication at the Faculty of Engineering.

Bachelor’s and Professor’s degree in Philosophy from the Universidad Católica Argentina and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Navarra (Spain), with a thesis on «The Ontological Argument in German Rationalism (Leibniz, Wolff, Baumgarten, Crusius, and Pre-Critical Kant).» Currently, he serves as a professor of Anthropology and Ethics at the Universidad Austral and UCA, as well as Philosophy and Music at Colegio Arrayanes. He is a co-author of the manual «Lógica para Benavídez» and has taught courses in Oratory and Logic at UCA, the National University General Sarmiento, schools, and companies since 2006.

Associate fellows to research projects

Santiago Resett

Researcher

Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the Universidad Católica Argentina, a Bachelor’s degree in Education Sciences, and a Teaching degree in Education Sciences from the Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Doctorate in Psychology from the Universidad Católica Argentina. Assistant Researcher at the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET). He teaches at the Universidad Argentina de la Empresa, Universidad Católica Argentina, and Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos. Author of numerous scientific publications, books, book chapters, and presentations at national and international scientific congresses. His research area focuses on the socioemotional development of adolescents and emerging adults, bullying, cyberbullying, grooming, trolling, cyberstalking, and problematic use of new technologies, as well as bullying and psychopathy in incarcerated individuals.

Contact: santiago_resett@hotmail.com

Research assistants

María Emilia Oñate

Posdoctoral Research Fellow

PhD in Psychology from the Universidad Católica Argentina. Since 2009 she has been a professor of Personality Psychology at the Universidad Católica Argentina and since 2017 she is a professor at the Thesis Workshop at the University of Cuenca del Plata. She is a postdoctoral fellow at the Austral University and the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET). Her research works deal with study variables of Positive Psychology, Personality, Psychology of Religiosity and Spirituality and Cognitive Psychology of Religion and Theory of Mind.

María Paulina Guerra

Posdoctoral Research Fellow

Researcher and doctoral fellow funded by CONICET.

Carina Daniela Hess

Posdoctoral Research Fellow

Bachelor of Psychology from the Universidad Católica Argentina. Doctoral Fellow of CONICET based at the Institute of Philosophy at Universidad Austral. In her doctoral thesis, she focuses on topics related to Positive Psychology, such as empathy, prosocial behavior, self-control, and self-resilience in adolescents.

She is a faculty member at the «Teresa de Ávila» School of the Universidad Católica Argentina. She is also a researcher at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Values, Integration, and Social Development (CIIVIDS), affiliated with the «Teresa de Ávila» School of the Universidad Católica Argentina. Her research there revolves around aspects related to Developmental Psychology, grandparenthood, and friendship.

Fátima Soledad Schönfeld

Posdoctoral Research Fellow

Bachelor of Psychology from the Universidad Católica Argentina. Doctoral Fellow at CONICET based at the Institute of Philosophy at Universidad Austral.

She is a faculty member at the «Teresa de Ávila» School of the Universidad Católica Argentina. She is also a researcher at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Values, Integration, and Social Development (CIIVIDS), affiliated with the «Teresa de Ávila» School of the Universidad Católica Argentina. Her research focuses on themes related to adolescents in the educational context, using the perspective of Positive Psychology, including basic psychological needs, psychological capital, and engagement. Additionally, she explores aspects related to Developmental Psychology and the phenomenon of grandparenthood.

María Candela Tortul

Posdoctoral Research Fellow

Bachelor of Psychology from the Universidad Católica Argentina and Doctoral Fellow at CONICET based at the Institute of Philosophy at Universidad Austral.

She serves as a lecturer at the «Teresa de Ávila» School – UCA: Social and Community Psychology Chair in the Bachelor’s degree program in Psychology. She is a researcher at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Values, Integration, and Social Development (CIIVIDS) of the «Teresa de Ávila» School – UCA.

In her doctoral thesis, she investigates topics related to the educational context in university students, using the perspective of Positive Psychology. These topics include Academic Commitment, Self-Efficacy, Grit (perseverance and passion for long-term goals), Flow, and Eustress. She has also been involved in research on Forgiveness in adolescents and young adults.

Austral - Templeton Postgraduate Scholars

15 doctoral fellows and 10 master's fellows

 – Andrea Álvarez Hermida (Venezuela)
– María José Buteler (Argentina)
– Miriam Berrios Garaycochea (Perú)
– María Guadalupe Calleja Cantú (México)
– Leonardo Caviglia Grigera (Argentina)
– Hilda Leticia Cervantes Barragán (México)
– Carlos Esteban Cuervo Mesa (Colombia)
– María Echevarría (Argentina)
– Gonzalo Alejandro Flores Castro Lingan (Perú)
– Manuel Abraham Galicia González (Mexico)
– Camilo Andrés Garzón Martínez (Colombia)
– Manuel Alejandro Gutiérrez González (México)
– Mario Alejandro Haro (Argentina)
– Juan Pablo Jorge (Argentina)
– Juan Agustín Larraín Correa (Chile)
– David Luis Matto Neyra (Perú)
– María Del Rocío Méndez Del Portal (Perú)
– Janina Del Rocío Navarro Linares (Perú)
– Martín Obligado (Argentina)
– Gustavo Riesgo (Argentina)
– Juan Pablo Roldán (Argentina)
– José María Tejedor (Argentina)
– Elaisa María Varela (Uruguay)
– Marco José Vásquez Moscoso (Colombia)
– Catalina María Velasco Suárez (Argentina)