Mercer, David | Australia

Senior Lecturer, Science Technology and Society, University of Wollongong.  
 

Academic Qualifications

Ph.D. Wollongong University, 1994.
B.A. (Hons) University of N.S.W., 1985.

Professional Activities

Member National Committee for History and Philosophy of Science, Australian Academy of Science.
Member of the Editorial Board of Metascience, ( Commission and referee reviews: sociology of science), Published by Blackwells for the Australasian Association for the History Philosophy and Social Studies of Science
Referee: Social Studies of Science, Science Technology and Human Values, Public Understanding of Science, Metascience, Radiation Protection in Australia.

Faculty and University

University of Wollongong Thesis Committee.
University of Wollongong Postgraduate Research Committee.
STS Postgraduate Coordinator
Associate Coordinator PECS, Policy Ethics Community and Society Research Group, Faculty of Arts University of Wollongong.

Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Science, Technology and Society, Graz, in May 2001.

Project at IAS-STS (2001): Law and Science, SSK and Science and Technology Policy, Public Understanding of Science, Risk, Scientific Technical Controversy.

Current case study areas include: EMF/RF, Bendectin, Asbestos, Junk Science and Toxic Torts, Creation Science, Juries, Legal Procedure and Expertise.
 

Project at IAS-STS (2006/07):Science Policy Formation in Austria and Europe - Case Studies

As part of my ongoing research into the politics of expertise I would like to widen my focus and assemble some case studies of science policy formation in Austria and Europe. I have previously mainly focussed on the US and Australia and noted the patterns of vertical integration of expertise and rise of regulatory folk epistemology in response to adversarial regulatory culture and calls for quality in science. Possible case studies include analysis of: (a) the attempts to harmonize safety standards for EMF across the world compared and contrasted similar attempts at standardization of regulations for GMO's, and or, (b) the different/similar meanings attached to Evidence Based Medicine and standards for certifying and legitimating science for use in legal settings and policy formation in different national contexts.

Selected Publications

David Mercer, The Telephone: The Life Story of a Technology’, Greenwood Technographies, Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut, London, 2006. ISSN 1549-7321

Gary Edmond & David Mercer, ‘Anti-social Epistemologies, Social Studies of Science 36/6 (December 2006) 843-854.

David Mercer, (with J. Ravetz, S. Turner and S. Fuller) ‘A Parting Shot at Misunderstanding: Fuller vs. Kuhn’, Review Symposium of Steve Fuller, Kuhn vs Popper: The Struggle for the Soul of Science, Metascience (2005) 14; 3-32.

Gary Edmond & David Mercer, ‘Daubert and the exclusionary ethos: The Convergence of Corporate and Judicial Attitudes towards the Admissibility of Expert Evidence in Tort Litigation’ (2004) 26 Law and Policy, 231-257.
 
David Mercer, ‘Hyper-experts and the vertical integration of expertise in EMF/RF litigation’ in G. Edmond (ed), Expertise in Regulation and Law, Ashgate Press U.K. (2004) 85-97.

'The Revealing Science of Cod,' Social Studies of Science, 26 (1996) 182 -186. (Review of Finlayson 'Fishing for Truth').

'Manifest Destiny: Law and Science in America', Metascience, 10 (1996) 40-58 (with Gary Edmond).

'Understanding Scientific and Technical Controversy,' STP Occasional Paper no 1, (76 pp) University of Wollongong, November 1996. ISBN. 0 86418 431 X.

'Recognising Daubert: What Judges Should Know About Falsificationism,' Expert Evidence, 5 (1997) 28-40 (with Gary Edmond).

Keeping 'Junk' History, Philosophy and Sociology of Science out of the Courtroom: Problems with the Reception of Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,' University of New South Wales Law Journal 20 (1997) 48-100. (with Gary Edmond).

'The Secret Life of (Mass) Torts,' University of New South Wales Law Journal, 20 (1997) 666-706. (with Gary Edmond).

'Scientific Literacy and the Jury,' Public Understanding of Science, 6 (1997) 329-357 (with Gary Edmond).

'Provincial History of Science', Science as Culture, 7 (1998) 117- 122. ( Review of Todd 'Colonial Technology').

'Representing the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge and Law', Science Communication, 19 (1998) 307-27( with Gary Edmond).

'Science Technology and Democracy on the 'STS' Agenda': Prometheus, 16 (1998) 81-91.

'Trashing 'Junk' Science', Stanford Technology Law Review, 3, (1998), (http://stlr.stanford.edu/STLR/Articles/98_STLR_3/contents_f.htm) 1-31. (with Gary Edmond).

'The Hazards of Decontextualised Accounts of Public Perceptions of Radiofrequency Radiation (RFR) Risk,' Australian and New Zealand Journal Of Public Health, 22 (1998) 291-294 .

Creating '(Public) Science' in the Noah's Ark Case' Public Understanding of Science, 8 (1999) 317-343 (with Gary Edmond).

'The Higher Moral Panic: Academic Scientism and its Quarrels with STS": Prometheus, 17, (1999). 77-85.

'The Politics of Jury Competence', in B.Martin (ed), Technology and Participation Technology Studies University of Wollongong, (1999), 85-113 (with Gary Edmond).

"Juggling Science: From Polemic to Pastiche." Social Epistemology, 'Special Issue on Law and Science', 13/2, (1999) 215-233. (with Gary Edmond).

'From Prudent Avoidance to Bureaucratic Avoidance: lessons from the recent Rf standard setting process in Australia'. Mobile Telephones and Health: Mobitel City and Financial / Gt Britain, (1999), 49-58.

'Litigation Life: Law Science Knowledge Construction in (Bendectin) MassToxic Tort Litigation', Social Studies of Science, 30/2 (2000) 265-316.( with Gary Edmond)

'Rebels without a Cause', Judges and the Uses of Causation' In I. Freckelton and D Mendelson,(eds), 'Causation in Medicine Science and the Law', 2001, in press ( with Gary Edmond).

'Overcoming Regulatory Fears of Public Perceptions of the Hazards of Radiofrequency Radiation', Radiation Protection Australia, 2001, in press.