Emily Hamilton

Emily Hamilton is an Assistant Professor of History and Honors Program Director at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She holds affiliations with the Public History and American Studies programs, and serves as Treasurer of the History of Science Society and co-chair of the Americas Section of the International Study Group on the Relations Between History and Pedagogy of Mathematics. Her research focuses on the history of science, technology, and medicine, with particular emphasis on mathematics education reform in 20th-century U.S. and Europe. Her forthcoming book, The Math Mafia: How a Persistent Group of Reformers Standardized American Education (University of Alabama Press, 2026), examines the political and social dimensions of K-12 math curricula. She also co-edits a historiographical volume on the history of mathematics (Springer, 2027).

• Education: B.A. in Physics (Drew University, 2004); M.A. and Ph.D. in History (University of California, Berkeley, 2008 and 2013)
• Research Interests: History of science education, pandemics, oral history methodologies, and Cold War cultural studies

Hamilton’s teaching includes courses like Science, Technology, and War in 20th-Century US and Europe and History of Health Care and Medicine in the U.S., contributing to the Medical Humanities and Reproductive Health certificate programs. Her oral history work includes leadership roles at the Bancroft Library’s Regional Oral History Office and the development of online teaching modules. Recent awards include recognition from the AAAS and UC Berkeley for scholarly and pedagogical excellence.

• Grants/Projects: Affiliated with the Consortium for History of Science, Technology, and Medicine; co-chairing international academic sections
• Labs/Teams: Collaborates with the UMass Medical Humanities program and the History of Science Society

Her upcoming projects explore the cultural history of New Math and educational television’s role in math instruction, continuing her focus on the interplay between education policy, technology, and societal change.