Paula Findlen

Paula Findlen is the Ubaldo Pierotti Professor of History at Stanford University and a Professor by courtesy in French and Italian. She serves as Project Lead for the Early Modern Mobility initiative, which explores historical communication and transportation networks (1500-1800) through digital mapping.

• Education: B.A. in Medieval/Renaissance Studies (Wellesley College, 1984), M.A. in History (UC Berkeley, 1985), Exchange Scholar (University of Chicago, 1986), Ph.D. in History (UC Berkeley, 1989)

Her research spans the evolution of scientific and medical knowledge, Renaissance Italy, and Gilded Age America, with a focus on interdisciplinary projects like digitizing historical networks. She examines how Renaissance thinkers integrated science with humanism, challenging C.P. Snow’s "two cultures" model.

Recent publications include Early Modern Things: Objects and Their Histories (2021) and Empires of Knowledge: Scientific Networks in the Early Modern World (2019), which analyze global knowledge exchange. Her work with the Rome Archive Seminar and Pioneer Academics program highlights her commitment to graduate training and high school education.

• Scientific Awards: Premio Galileo (2016)

As Director of Stanford’s Education as Self Fashioning (ESF) and Masters in Liberal Arts (MLA) programs, she fosters interdisciplinary learning. She advises students at all levels and utilizes digital humanities to reshape historical inquiry.