Geoff Bil

Geoff Bil is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Victoria, where he also completed his undergraduate studies. He holds a PhD from the University of British Columbia (2018) and an MA from McMaster University (2008). He previously held fellowships at Victoria University of Wellington, the University of Sussex, the Newberry Library, and the New York Botanical Garden, and taught at the University of Delaware before returning to UVic in 2025.

His research lies at the intersection of the history of science and empire, with a particular focus on Indigenous plant knowledge and its entanglement with colonial science. His work draws on science studies, Indigenous critical theory, and environmental humanities, with regional expertise in the Pacific, especially Aotearoa New Zealand, Tahiti, and the Himalayas.

Geoff's recent publications explore topics such as the linguistic and cultural translation of plant knowledge, the colonial history of plant-based pharmaceuticals, and the representation of nature in scientific and cultural contexts. His articles reflect a strong interdisciplinary trend, combining historical analysis with insights from anthropology, botany, and cultural studies.

He is currently completing a book titled Indexing the Indigenous: Plants, Peoples, and Empire (under contract with Johns Hopkins University Press) and is developing a second book on ethnoscience and American imperial interests. He is also editing three book projects on plant knowledge, the cultural history of nature, and colonial intersections with gender and science.

• Former Fellow, Victoria University of Wellington
• Former Fellow, University of Sussex
• Former Fellow, Newberry Library
• Former Fellow, New York Botanical Garden

Geoff Bil mentors emerging scholars in the history of science and colonialism. Though no current advisees are listed, his editorial and collaborative projects suggest active engagement in academic community building. He has not advertised specific grants, but his fellowships indicate sustained external research support.

His scholarly work is deeply connected to critical conversations about decolonizing knowledge, the ethics of scientific collection, and the resilience of Indigenous epistemologies. While no formal lab or research team is mentioned, his multi-project agenda suggests leadership in collaborative, interdisciplinary research networks.