Janet Browne

E. Janet Browne (born 1950) is a British historian of science known especially for her work on the history of 19th century biology. She had taught at the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine, University College, London, before moving to Harvard.

Biography

Browne gained a BA degree from Trinity College, Dublin in 1972 and from Imperial College, London an MSc (1973) and PhD (1978) on the history of science. [http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/06.01/03-browne.html]

After working as an associate editor on the University of Cambridge Library project to collect, edit, and publish the correspondence of Charles Darwin, she wrote a two volume biography of the naturalist: "Charles Darwin: Voyaging" (1995), on his youth and years on the "Beagle", and "Charles Darwin: The Power of Place" (2002), covering his post-"Beagle" years through the publication of his theory of evolution and beyond. The latter book has received acclaim for its innovative interpretation of the role of Darwin's correspondence in the formation of his scientific theory and recruitment of scientific support. In 2004, the latter volume won the History of Science Society's Pfizer Prize, the Society's highest honor awarded to individual works of scholarship. [http://www.hssonline.org/meeting/program/2004_Prize_Winners.htm#Pfizer] In 2003, it also won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Biography.

Browne is currently the Aramont Professor in the History of Science at Harvard University. She specializes in life sciences, natural history, and evolutionary biology from the 17th to the 20th century.

External links

* [http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hsdept/bios/browne.html Janet Browne's faculty home page]