Kenneth Manning

Dr. Kenneth Manning is the Thomas Meloy Professor of Rhetoric in the Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies and STS at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in the History of Science from Harvard University (1970, 1971, and 1974) and has been a faculty member at MIT since 1974.

• Education: Harvard University (History of Science) - B.A., M.A., Ph.D.

His research focuses on the intersection of racial history and scientific development, particularly examining the role of African Americans in the history of science and medicine. His seminal work, Black Apollo of Science: The Life of Ernest Everett Just (1983), explores the racial dynamics in American scientific institutions during the early 20th century.

The book won the Pfizer Award and the Lucy Hampton Bostick Award, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Kennedy Book Award, and National Book Critics Circle Award. His current research continues to investigate systemic racial barriers in medical professions.

• Scientific Awards
  • Pfizer Award
  • Lucy Hampton Bostick Award

While the text does not enumerate specific advising activities or grants, Manning's career spans decades of teaching at MIT and producing influential scholarship that bridges science, technology, and racial history.