Greg Eghigian

Greg Eghigian is a Professor of History and Bioethics at The Pennsylvania State University, where he also served as Director of the Science, Technology, and Society Program from 2007 to 2012. His scholarship bridges historical analysis of science, medicine, and paranormal phenomena to examine societal responses to deviance.

He earned his PhD (1993) and MA (1985) from the University of Chicago and a BA from Bard College (1983).

Eghigian's research centers on the history of the human sciences in modern Europe, investigating how scientific frameworks define and manage behaviors labeled as deviant. His work spans disability, criminality, mental illness, and security, with recent emphasis on UFO phenomena and alien abduction narratives. Current projects include a global history of madness and a study of late-20th century abduction claims, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach to science-society interactions.

His publications reveal a trajectory from German-focused studies of crime and psychiatry toward global cultural histories of science. Works like After the Flying Saucers Came (2024) and The Routledge History of Madness (2017) demonstrate expertise in synthesizing cross-cultural perspectives on contested phenomena, while his ufology research explores tensions between scientific legitimacy and popular belief systems.

His major honors include:

• Shelby Cullom Davis Center Visiting Research Scholar (2024)
• Price/Webster Prize of the History of Science Society (2018)
• Charles A. Lindbergh Chair in Aerospace History (2017)
• DAAD Book Prize for Best History Book (2017)
• NASA/AHA Fellow in Aerospace History (2016-2017)

No information on student advising or active research grants is provided. Similarly, no laboratory affiliations or team structures are documented in available materials.