Avenali Lecturer Bruno Latour is Professor at the Centre de Sociologie de l’Innovation at the Ecole des Mines in Paris and Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics. His work is known for its unique incorporation of both philosophy and anthropology. After earning a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Tours in 1975, Latour carried out initial field work in Africa and California, specializing in the analysis of scientists and engineers at work. His first book, Laboratory Life: The Construction of Scientific Facts, is a classic example of the use of ethnographic methods to describe the daily functioning of a science laboratory in California.

Continuing research that combined philosophy, history, sociology, and anthropology of science, Latour has collaborated on a number of studies in science policy and research management. His publications include Science in Action; The Pasteurization of France; Aramis or the Love of Technology; and We Have Never Been Modern.