Matt Klemm

Professor Matt Klemm is a faculty member in the Department of History at Ithaca College. He serves as Chair and specializes in Medieval and Ancient History, with a focus on intellectual history, science, and medicine. His research bridges medicine, philosophy, and theology, particularly in the later Middle Ages and early Renaissance.

• PhD in History from Johns Hopkins University
• MA and BA in History from the University of Iowa
• BA in Classics from Grinnell College

He teaches courses on ancient Mediterranean and medieval European history, including topics like medicine and magic, science and religion, and the body in society. As co-coordinator of the Global Premodern Studies Minor, he collaborates with English faculty and advises Ultimate Frisbee clubs.

His research explores intersections of medical anthropology, moral philosophy, and theology in medieval scholarship, with a focus on figures like Pietro d'Abano. Key themes include the physiology of virtues, human-animal comparisons, and reconciliations of classical medical and philosophical traditions.

Publications highlight trends in medieval medical theory, cross-disciplinary intellectual exchanges, and encyclopedic scholarship. His work contextualizes evolving conceptions of the soul-body relationship, virtue, and natural philosophy in premodern Europe.