Anuj Misra

Anuj Misra is Professor of the History of Science and the History of Knowledge at Freie Universität Berlin and leads the Max Planck Research Group 'Astral Sciences in Trans-Regional Asia' (ASTRA) at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. He maintains adjunct and visiting affiliations at the University of Canterbury and University of Copenhagen.

His academic qualifications include:

• Ph.D. in Mathematics, University of Canterbury (2016), dissertation on seventeenth-century Sanskrit spherical geometry
• M.Sc. in Astrophysics and Space Science, University of Cape Town (2015), focusing on pulsar glitch mechanisms via AdS/CFT correspondence

Misra specializes in pre-modern Islamicate and Sanskrit astronomy, examining how celestial knowledge was transmitted, transformed, and creatively reinterpreted across Asia. His trans-regional approach investigates connections between scientific calculations, religious rituals, and artistic expressions in astral sciences. Methodologically, he integrates historical analysis, textual scholarship, and digital humanities to decode cross-cultural knowledge flows.

His recent publications reveal consistent focus on comparative studies of Persian-Sanskrit astronomical texts, critical editions of Sanskrit works, and computational reconstruction of historical tables. This work demonstrates fluid knowledge exchange across cultural boundaries, particularly in Mughal-era India where Islamicate and Sanskrit traditions intersected. Key themes include recension practices, numerical table transmission, and adaptation of mathematical astronomy.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship for 'Early Modern Exchanges in Sanskrit Astral Sciences' (2019-2021)
• Gerda Henkel Research Fellowship for 'Changing Episteme in Early Modern Sanskrit Astronomy' (2021-2023)

As principal investigator, Misra has secured major research grants including the current ASTRA project (2024-2029). He previously directed the EMESAS and CEEMSA projects, and has organized international conferences such as 'Transmission, Translocation, and Transcreation' (2023) and 'Exchange of Knowledge Between Literate Cultures' (2021), fostering global collaboration in history of science.

The ASTRA research group operates through three interconnected domains: Transmission (knowledge communication), Translocation (physical movement of knowledge), and Transcreation (creative reinterpretation). This framework enables analysis of astral sciences beyond geographical boundaries, revealing how celestial knowledge shaped and was shaped by diverse Asian societies from medieval to early modern periods.