Martha Ann Fleming

Martha Ann Fleming is an Associate Professor in the Department of Arts and Cultural Studies at the University of Copenhagen and a Guest Researcher at The Natural History Museum. She serves as Principal Investigator for 'Field/Work in the Archive: Herbaria as Sites of Cultural Exchange,' funded by the Augustinus Fonden, which investigates the global histories and cultural meanings of botanical collections.

Education:

• PhD, School of Art, Architecture and Design, Leeds Metropolitan University (2004)
• MA in the History of the Book, Institute for English Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London (1998) (Commonwealth Scholar)

Fleming is a museologist and historian of collections and science with expertise in natural historical collections. Her research investigates the creation and management of natural history collections as knowledge-producing practices embedded in globalized colonial contexts, repositioning specimens as epistemic objects in asymmetrical knowledge regimes. She examines the colonial origins of the Anthropocene and the constructed rationalities underlying paradigmatic practices in life sciences.

Her recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on collections-based research methodologies, the history of scientific collecting, and museum practices. The articles reveal evolving trends toward digital humanities approaches to historical collections, increased attention to colonial contexts of collecting, and interdisciplinary frameworks connecting museum studies with science history and critical heritage studies.

Scientific Awards:

• Dibner Award for Excellence in Museum Exhibits for 'Split + Splice: Fragments from the Age of Biomedicine' at the Medical Museion, University of Copenhagen

Fleming has extensive grant experience, including leadership of the Centre for Arts and Humanities Research at London's Natural History Museum (2009-2011), Deputy Directorship of the V&A Research Institute (2016-2017), and the 'Reconstructing Sloane' project (2010-2019). She has developed groundbreaking training programs for humanities researchers working in collection contexts and organized numerous international conferences on collections-based research.

Her work bridges academic institutions and museums through initiatives like the Centre for Collections-Based Research at the University of Reading and collaborations with the Medical Museion. Fleming has been instrumental in creating research centers that integrate humanities and social science methodologies into scientific research contexts, establishing models for interdisciplinary museum-academic partnerships.