Evan Hepler-Smith

Evan Hepler-Smith is an Assistant Professor of History at Duke University's Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. He specializes in the history of modern science and technology, with research focusing on the global history of chemistry, computing, environmental health, and chemical information infrastructures. His current book project Compound Words: Chemical Information and the Molecular Ideal examines how molecular frameworks became foundational to chemical innovation and regulation.

His research explores:

• The co-evolution of computing and molecular science since the mid-20th century
• Environmental justice through chemical life cycle analysis (e.g., DDT, PFAS)
• Epistemological shifts in chemical representation and nomenclature
• Transdisciplinary approaches to plastic pollution and toxicology governance

Hepler-Smith holds a PhD from Princeton University (2016) and was a Ziff Environmental Fellow at Harvard. His pedagogical work includes developing intercollegiate online chemistry courses and teaching courses on information history and chemicals/health at Duke.