funded Ph.D., Oxford
« Torna all'elencoAHRC-funded PhD Studentship (Collaborative Doctoral Award) available from 1 October 2019
Material Mathematics: Engineering, instruments and the material culture of mathematics, 1850-1920
A collaboration between the Open University and the Museum of the History of Science, University of Oxford
Supervisors:
June Barrow-Green (Open University)
Stephen Johnston (Museum of the History of Science, University of Oxford)
Since the 19th century, mathematics has been commonly seen as the 'purest' and most abstract of the sciences. Recent research has focused on the surprising extent to which this drive towards abstraction was paralleled by a concrete concern with devices to solve mathematical problems in practice. In a wide range of scientific and engineering disciplines fields, sophisticated precision instruments were offered as both elegant solutions and reliable tools for demanding areas of technical practice.
The project will address the role of devices such as planimeters, integrators and differential analysers, investigating the networks connecting designers, makers and users to analyse how success and failure were judged by different audiences.
Focusing on the later 19th and early 20th centuries, and working with both museum collections and documentary sources, the successful candidate will have privileged access to the Museum of the History of Science, both for its collection and its opportunities for public engagement.
Further details are available at
and prospective candidates can contact stephen.johnston@mhs.ox.ac.uk <mailto:stephen.johnston@mhs.ox.ac.uk>
The deadline for applications via the Open University route on https://www.oocdtp.ac.uk/how-to-apply is 11 January 2019 <https://www.oocdtp.ac.uk/how-to-apply%20is%2011%20January%202019>.
Dr Stephen Johnston
Head of Research, Teaching and Collections
Museum of the History of Science | University of Oxford Broad Street | Oxford OX1 3AZ | United Kingdom
t: +44 (0) 1865 277282 | e: stephen.johnston@mhs.ox.ac.uk <mailto:stephen.johnston@mhs.ox.ac.uk>| w: www.mhs.ox.ac.uk <http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/>
from "Humanist"
