Carsten Timmermann

Carsten Timmermann is a Professor at the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM), University of Manchester, and has served as its Director since January 2022. With a science background in Biochemistry from Freie Universität Berlin, he transitioned to historical studies via MA and PhD at Manchester, focusing on Weimar Germany’s medical crisis.

• Education: Biochemistry (BSc, Freie Universität Berlin), History & Social Anthropology (MA, University of Manchester), PhD in History of Medicine (University of Manchester)
• Key Roles: Academic Lead for Museum of Medicine and Health (2017-2023), Co-Director of MSc in Medical Humanities (until 2020), Editor of Palgrave book series on Modern History, Biomedical Sciences

His research spans history of cancer, hypertension, mental illness, and translational medicine, emphasizing the interplay between basic science and clinical practice. He explores how biomedicine’s paradigm—that basic research yields therapies—developed, with case studies on chemotherapy, personalized medicine, and monoclonal antibody technology.

Recent projects include Lifesupport Technologies (1945-2020), Remaking Cancer, and Mining Medical Archives via text-mining tools. His 15 most recent publications examine topics like social medicine pioneers, chemotherapy evolution, and palliative care histories.

Scientific Awards

• Manchester Doctoral College Excellence Award (2021/22)
• Commendation in Pandemic Teaching Awards (2020/21)

He supervises PhD students in medical humanities and has collaborated internationally with institutions like the Max Planck Institute and Hoffmann-La Roche AG. His editorial roles include Bulletin of the History of Medicine and Notes & Records, alongside organizing conferences for the Society for Social History of Medicine.