Nuno Castel-Branco

Nuno Castel-Branco is a Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) in Berlin, specializing in the history of seventeenth-century European science. His work examines the intersection of scientific practice, religious devotion, and intellectual networks through figures like anatomist Nicolaus Steno and Galileo.

Education

• PhD in History of Science, Johns Hopkins University (2021)
• MSc in Physics, University of Lisbon (ISTécnico)

Castel-Branco's research centers on early modern science, with emphasis on mathematical reasoning in anatomy, Jesuit scientific transmission in Portugal, and the cultural contexts of medical knowledge. He investigates how religious frameworks shaped empirical practices, particularly in soul-body theories and earth sciences, using transnational approaches that connect Italian, Portuguese, and Northern European scholarly traditions.

Scientific Recognition

• Fulbright Fellowship for transatlantic research exchange
• Huntington Exchange Fellowship for collaborative scholarship
• AH Oliveira Marques Prize for outstanding article in Portuguese historical studies

His active conference participation—including presentations at the Renaissance Society of America and Galileo-focused symposia—demonstrates engagement with cutting-edge historiography. Current projects explore Steno's mathematical foundations for geology and poison's role in early modern knowledge systems, supported by MPIWG's Premodern Sciences research environment.

Castel-Branco contributes to the MPIWG's Premodern Sciences of Soul & Body research group, leveraging institutional resources like the Digital Humanities Team for manuscript analysis. His work bridges material culture studies with intellectual history, examining how instruments, correspondence networks, and religious artifacts shaped scientific innovation in Catholic Europe.