Mimi Cheng

Mimi Cheng is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz, a Max Planck Institute, affiliated with the Lise Meitner Group 'Coded Objects.' She received her doctorate from the University of Rochester in 2022 and previously held a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship at the Newberry Library in Chicago.

• Education
  • PhD, University of Rochester (2022)

Her research explores the intersections of transnational visual culture, cartographic history, and knowledge production in imperial contexts. She specializes in Sino-Western dynamics through objects like maps, atlases, and landscape photography, analyzing how these artifacts reflect epistemological and political processes in the Qing, German, and British empires.

The Coding Empires project situates her work within transimperial networks, examining how mapmaking technologies (woodblock printing, lithography) and visual epistemology shaped imperial science and aesthetics. This builds on the Institute's focus on transcultural art histories and material cultures.

Scientific Awards & Grants:

• National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow
• American Council for Learned Societies
• Social Science Research Council
• German Historical Institute Washington
• Forschungzentrum Gotha

Her work bridges imperial history, digital humanities, and material culture studies, aligning with the Institute's mission to connect historical research with contemporary debates on heritage, urbanization, and globalization.