Jed Z. Buchwald

Jed Z. Buchwald is the Doris and Henry Dreyfuss Professor of History at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he has been affiliated since 2001. His expertise spans the history of physics, the history of scientific writing, and the broader cultural dimensions of scientific knowledge. He holds a B.A. in Physics and Science History from Princeton University (1971), an M.A. (1973), and a Ph.D. (1974) in History of Science from Harvard University.

Before joining Caltech, Buchwald directed the Dibner Institute for the History of Science and Technology at MIT and served as the Bern Dibner Professor of the History of Science. He also held roles at the University of Toronto, including directing its Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology. His research explores the interplay between technical innovation and intellectual frameworks, with a focus on optics, electromagnetism, and historical case studies.

Buchwald is a MacArthur Fellow (1995) and a Killam Fellow (1990-1991). He leads the Research Institute for the History of Science and Technology at Caltech and collaborates with The Huntington Library. His external affiliations include the American Philosophical Society, Académie Internationale d'Histoire des Sciences, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

His scholarship includes seminal works like Newton and the Origin of Civilization (2012), The Riddle of the Rosetta (2020), and The Zodiac of Paris (2010). His articles and edited volumes address topics ranging from Descartes' rainbow theories to the cultural history of scientific instruments. Buchwald's interdisciplinary approach bridges historical analysis with philosophical and technical inquiry, shaping the field of science history through rigorous archival work and conceptual frameworks.