Helen Tilley

Helen Tilley is Associate Professor of History at Northwestern University's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences with courtesy appointments in the Pritzker School of Law and Anthropology Department. Her interdisciplinary work bridges global legal history, science and technology studies, and environmental/medical history with a focus on Africa and imperial contexts.

Education:

• Ph.D., University of Oxford, 2002

Research Focus: Tilley investigates how scientific knowledge, medical practices, and environmental governance have been shaped by colonialism, decolonization, and global power dynamics. Her work emphasizes transnational approaches to understanding the co-production of knowledge and power across medical pluralism, racial science, and ecological change.

Publication Trends: Her recent scholarship (2010-2024) reveals a trajectory from historical analyses of colonial science toward contemporary examinations of global health governance. Key thematic evolution includes the historical construction of 'traditional medicine,' the persistence of colonial medical hierarchies in pandemics, and legal frameworks shaping biomedical ascendancy worldwide.

Scientific Recognition:

• Ludwik Fleck Prize (2014)
• Honorable Mention, Herskovits Prize (2012)
• Choice Outstanding Academic Title Award (2012)
• National Endowment for the Humanities Collaborative Research Grant (2021-2024)
• Buffett Institute Faculty Fellowship (2016-2019)
• National Science Foundation Scholar’s Award (two awards)
• Kaplan Institute Senior Faculty Fellowship (2013-2014)

Academic Leadership: Tilley directs major interdisciplinary initiatives including the Science in Human Culture Program and co-founded the Global Medical Cultures and Law Project. Her research has secured competitive funding from the Wellcome Trust and National Endowment for the Humanities while mentoring graduate students in African/global history intersections with science and law.

Institutional Integration: She maintains active affiliations with Northwestern's African Studies, Global Health, Legal Studies, and Environmental Policy and Culture programs, facilitating cross-departmental collaboration on decolonial approaches to knowledge production.