Noa Grass

Noa Grass is an economic historian of China, currently holding an Azrieli Postdoctoral Fellowship at Tel Aviv University and a Visiting Fellowship at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) in Berlin. At MPIWG, she is affiliated with the Department of Artifacts, Action, Knowledge (AAK), where she conducts interdisciplinary research combining GIS technology with historical sources to study government horse rearing in the early Ming dynasty.

Her educational qualifications include:

• Ph.D. in History, University of British Columbia (2015) - Dissertation: "Revenue as a Measure for Expenditure: Ming State Finance Before the Age of Silver"

Grass's research centers on economic state formation in early Ming China, with specific expertise in fiscal systems, monetary transitions, and resource administration. Her current book project reinterprets Ming government expenditure, while her MPIWG research maps the geographical organization of imperial horse ranches. This work bridges traditional historiography with digital methods, revealing how spatial logistics underpinned premodern state capacity.

Her 2017 publication in Ming Studies analyzed silver's adoption in Ming finance, establishing her focus on monetary policy evolution. Subsequent conference presentations have expanded this to examine grain transports, salary systems, and the Yongle-era horse administration, showing consistent thematic development across her oeuvre.

Her scholarly recognition includes:

• Azrieli Postdoctoral Fellowship

As a postdoctoral researcher, Grass actively disseminates her findings through international conferences and institutional colloquia. Her current fellowship provides dedicated research time for manuscript preparation, while her MPIWG affiliation facilitates collaboration with digital humanities specialists.

Embedded in the MPIWG's Department of Artifacts, Action, Knowledge, Grass collaborates with a transdisciplinary team examining material practices in historical knowledge production. Her "A Million Horses" project exemplifies the institute's commitment to innovative methodologies for studying premodern economies.