Miguel Ohnesorge

Miguel Ohnesorge is a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Cambridge's Department of History and Philosophy of Science. His research focuses on the history and philosophy of physics, earth sciences, and quantitative measurement, particularly how theoretical concepts like gravity and temperature become quantifiable. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and is completing a book under contract with Oxford University Press titled Newton's Open Problem: Earth’s Figure and Universal Gravitation, exploring how Newtonian gravitation was empirically validated over two centuries.

His work bridges historical case studies (e.g., 19th-century geodetic surveys) with foundational questions about measurement, scientific evidence, and epistemic justification. Notable contributions include analyses of precision measurement in colonial contexts and the role of theoretical assumptions in geodetic practices. He has received the 2022 APS History and Philosophy of Physics Essay Prize for his work on Newton and geodesy.

Ohnesorge’s research also addresses ethical dimensions of measurement, such as aligning quantitative measures with stakeholder values and managing inductive risk in industry-influenced science. He collaborates with scholars in philosophy of the geosciences and has presented at institutions like Boston University and the California Institute of Technology.