Erin Freedman

Erin Freedman is a Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) in Berlin. Her work explores the conceptual, experient|ial, and aesthetic interplay between modern science and material innovation.

• Education:
  • PhD in History of Science, Harvard University (2018)
  • Graduate work, Bard Graduate Center (New York)
  • BA in Comparative Literature, University of Toronto

Her research focuses on the history of molecular biology and the role of textile fibers as technical and cognitive tools in mid-20th century British and American life sciences. She examines how fibers shaped scientific language, practices, and structural interpretations of life. Her work intersects with disciplines like history of technology, material culture, and scientific modeling.

The 2023 article Fabricating Modern Fibers highlights her studies on the circulation of fibers among crystallographers, biochemists, and physiologists. It contextualizes this within intensive mid-century government and corporate investment in new materials, emphasizing fibers' role in molecular biology's structural paradigm.

Before her academic career, Freedman worked in museum curation at institutions including Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Royal Ontario Museum. She has also contributed to collective exhibitions at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin), Goethe-Institut (New York), and SESC Pompéia (São Paolo).