Hans-Jörg Rheinberger

Hans-Jörg Rheinberger is a Swiss-born historian and epistemologist of science, currently serving as a Scientific Member of the Max Planck Society and Director at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin. He is an honorary professor at the Institute for Philosophy and History of Science at Technical University Berlin.

• Education: MA in philosophy (1973), PhD in biology (1982), habilitation in molecular biology (1987)

His research bridges historical epistemology with life sciences, focusing on experimental systems, material cultures of science, and the evolution of heredity research. Key projects include A Cultural History of Heredity and Generating Experimental Knowledge.

Scientific awards and memberships include:

• Member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences
• Member of the Leopoldina, the German Academy of Natural Scientists
• Doctor honoris causa at ETH Zurich

His work examines how experimental practices and material tools shape scientific knowledge, with case studies spanning Mendelian genetics, insect physiology, and molecular biology.