Simon Werrett

Simon Werrett is Professor of the History of Science in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at University College London (UCL), where he has been employed since 2012, first as a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer and then as Professor from 2019 onward. Previously, he was faculty at the University of Washington, Seattle, where he served as Assistant Professor (2002-2009) and Associate Professor (2009-2012) in the History Department.

Werrett's educational background includes:

• Doctor of Philosophy from University of Cambridge (2000)
• Master of Philosophy from University of Cambridge (1996)
• Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from University of Leeds (1994)

Professor Werrett's research explores interactions between the arts and sciences from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, with particular focus on what he terms "thrifty science" - an experimental approach to natural inquiry that emphasizes re-use, adaptation, repair and exchange. His work spans several key areas including the history of experimentation, material culture studies, environmental history of science, and Russian/Soviet scientific traditions. Werrett has made significant contributions to understanding historical practices of resourcefulness in scientific work, examining how scientists throughout history have creatively managed limited materials.

His scholarly output reveals consistent themes across centuries of scientific practice, with particular attention to material economies in experimental settings, the role of repair and maintenance in scientific work, and cross-cultural exchanges in scientific knowledge. Werrett's publications demonstrate expertise in both Western European and Russian scientific traditions, with notable work on fireworks history, exploration voyages, and gendered knowledge production networks.

Among his professional recognitions, Werrett received the Paul Bunge Prize in 2020 from the German Chemical Society. He has served as External Examiner at the University of Cambridge's Department of History and Philosophy of Science (2019-2021) and held an editorial role with the British Journal for the History of Science Themes (2017-2022).

At UCL, Werrett teaches across History and Philosophy of Science and Science and Technology Studies at both undergraduate and graduate levels. His teaching encompasses the history of science in ancient and early modern worlds, Russian and Soviet science history, and global perspectives on scientific development. With language skills in Russian, French, Spanish, and German, he brings multilingual capabilities to his historical research.