Dagmar Schäfer

Prof. Dr. Dagmar Schäfer is an Honorary Professor at Technical University of Berlin (Department of History of Science) and Freie Universität Berlin (China Studies). She leads Department III (Artifacts, Action, Knowledge) at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) and serves as its Managing Director. Her research focuses on the history of science and technology in China, material culture, and global knowledge systems. She holds a doctorate from the University of Würzburg (1996) and habilitation from the same institution (2005). Notable roles include Chair of China Studies at the University of Manchester (2011) and Leibniz Prize recipient (2020).

Research interests include premodern Chinese technological practices, artifact-based knowledge systems, and transregional comparative frameworks. Major works include The Crafting of the 10,000 Things (2011), analyzing Song-Ming China's material culture, and edited volumes on knowledge ownership and plurilingual scholarship.

Recent teaching includes a 2025/26 seminar on legal practices in Imperial and Modern China. Awards include the Leibniz Prize for pioneering global history approaches. Active in institutional leadership, she coordinates projects like kn/own/able on knowledge ownership and collaborates internationally.