Prof. Dr. Jürgen Renn

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Renn is Founding Director at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Jena. Prior to this, he was Founding Director and Director of Department I of the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin. His research concerns the long-term developments of knowledge in consideration of processes of globalization and the historical dynamics that led to the Anthropocene. In over two decades at the MPIWG, his numerous research projects in knowledge development in relation to different cultures and historical periods have opened up new approaches, especially in the digital humanities. As a preeminent historian of science, Jürgen Renn has authored, co-authored, and edited over 60 books, 140 book chapters, and over 70 articles on topics ranging from the history of mechanics in antiquity and the early modern period to quantum physics and the theory of general relativity. His most recent monograph looks at the role of knowledge in global historical transformations, and explores how this knowledge can help us to confront the complexities of the Anthropocene age.

He is a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the International Academy of the History of Science, and was elected Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In recognition of his significant contributions to the history of science, Jürgen Renn has received numerous awards, including The Gustav Neuenschwander Prize, the Francis-Bacon Award and the Medaglia Commandiniana. For his contributions to the history and philosophy of science he was awarded Honorary Doctorates by Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University Jerusalem.