Ruth Schilling

Ruth Schilling is Professor of Maritime History at the University of Bremen and Managing Director of the German Maritime Museum/Leibniz Institute of Maritime History since January 1, 2024. She has been instrumental in transforming the museum from a technology-focused institution to one that examines the historical, contemporary, and future relationships between humanity and the sea. Her academic leadership spans both the university and museum contexts, with a W3 Professorship in Maritime History held in conjunction with her museum directorship.

Education:

• Magistra artium in Modern/Contemporary History, Ancient History, and Greek Studies, Humboldt University Berlin (1995-2001)
• Dr. phil. in History, Humboldt University Berlin (2008)

Ruth Schilling's research fundamentally examines how maritime history shapes global networks and human experience. Her work spans from early modern political rituals to contemporary museum practices, with particular focus on how knowledge about the sea is created, transmitted, and displayed. She argues that 'world history is maritime history' and investigates how oceanic perspectives transform our understanding of global connections. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges historical scholarship with museum practice, examining how material culture and digital technologies can reshape public engagement with maritime heritage. This perspective informs both her academic research and her leadership in transforming the German Maritime Museum into a research institution that reflects on humanity's relationship with the sea across time.

Her recent publications reveal a growing emphasis on digital approaches to maritime heritage, the materiality of oceanic knowledge, and the colonial dimensions of maritime networks. Rather than treating maritime history as a specialized niche, her work demonstrates how sea-based perspectives fundamentally reframe our understanding of global history, connecting early modern political rituals with contemporary environmental challenges. The consistent thread through her scholarship is how knowledge about the sea is constructed, circulated, and contested across different historical periods and institutional contexts.

Scientific Awards:

• Karl Ferdinand von Werner-Fellowship at the German Historical Institute Paris (2022)
• Visiting Senior Fellow at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge (2020)
• Fellowship Internationales Museum from the German Federal Cultural Foundation (2015)
• Dissertation Publication Support from Humboldt University Berlin (2011)

Schilling has supervised multiple doctoral dissertations examining maritime history from diverse perspectives, including seafarer families, historical shipbuilding, and religious practices at sea. Her research projects secure significant funding, including the SAW Project 'Digital Materialities' and research on the North German Lloyd's role in German colonialism. She chairs the Northern Sea Maritime Museums' Network and has served on expert panels for the German federal government on marine pollution.

As leader of the German Maritime Museum's transformation, Schilling directs research hubs focused on digital approaches to maritime heritage and the museum's role in contemporary environmental discourse. Her 'Post digital Participation' project within the Leibniz Research Campus explores innovative ways to engage diverse audiences with maritime history through both physical and digital means.