He received his PhD from Carnegie Mellon University in 2005, and studied previously at Trinity College Dublin and Technical University of Darmstadt. His research interests fall into the areas of history and philosophy of mathematics and science, epistemology, and cognitive science. In particular, he is interested in the developments in the 19th and early 20th century that led to the emergence of modern mathematics and logic, and in systematic investigations regarding axiomatics, analogical reasoning, concept formation, mathematical cognition, the use of notation (in particular for systems of numerals), and theory development. His current research project is "Empiricism in mathematics". He is also involved in editorial projects of the works of Bernays, Hilbert, and Carnap.