Heitor Matallo Junior

I began my academic career in physics at the University of Brasília (1974–1976), before transitioning to the social sciences, in which I earned my degree in 1981. This interdisciplinary foundation led me to pursue graduate studies in Logic and Philosophy of Science at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), where I deepened my engagement with epistemological and methodological questions at the intersection of science and society.

As a sociologist, I served as a university professor for eight years, followed by more than fifteen years working with the United Nations under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)—a global framework addressing the socio-environmental drivers of land degradation in arid regions. During this time, I worked at the Office for Knowledge Management, Science, and Technology (KMST), supporting the Convention’s Parties in identifying sustainable land governance practices.

Alongside these institutional roles, I have maintained an active academic trajectory, publishing on topics related to desertification, epistemology, and the history of science. Since retiring from the UN in 2017, I have dedicated myself fully to philosophical research, with a focus on hermeneutics, epistemology, and the epistemic structures underlying scientific knowledge.

My work—reflected in several books published in Brazil and numerous articles available on my Academia.edu and PhilPapers profiles—represents a dual commitment: empirical inquiry into sustainability in arid lands, and a philosophical interrogation of science as a historical, interpretive, and situated practice.