Surekha Davies

Surekha Davies is a historian specializing in early modern Europe's interactions with the Americas, cartography, and the history of monsters. She earned her PhD from the Warburg Institute (University of London) in 2009 and held fellowships at prestigious institutions like the John Carter Brown Library and the Folger Library. Currently an Assistant Professor at Western Connecticut State University, she is completing her book project Collecting Artifacts in the Age of Empire at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG), where she collaborates with the Art of Judgment Working Group in Department III.

• Education: PhD from the Warburg Institute, University of London (2009); MA in History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge

Her research explores how European travelers classified overseas artifacts, shaping cultural memory and distinctions between 'civilized' and 'barbarous' societies. She is the author of the award-winning book Renaissance Ethnography and the Invention of the Human (Cambridge University Press, 2016) and has published in journals such as The Historical Journal and Renaissance Studies.

• Scientific Awards: Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (Birkbeck College), Mellon Longterm Fellowship (Folger Library)

As a founding editor of the book series Maps, Spaces, Cultures and an editorial board member of Monsters, Prodigies, and Demons, she contributes to academic discourse. Her current work bridges historical scholarship and public engagement, including her role as a monster consultant for media projects.