Founded in 1994, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) in Berlin is one of the more than 80 research institutes administered by the Max Planck Society. It is dedicated to the study of the history of science and aims to understand scientific thinking and practice as historical phenomena.
The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science comprises scholars across all Departments and Research Groups, as well as an Administration team, IT Support, Library, Research IT Group, and Research Coordination and Communications team.
The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science comprises departments under the direction of Etienne Benson and Dagmar Schäfer.
In addition are Research Groups, each directed by one Research Group Leader.
The Institute also comprises of a Research IT Group—specialist in digital humanities—doctoral students, an International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS), and research and teaching cooperations with other institutions worldwide.
The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) engages with the research community and broader public, and is committed to open access.
This section provides access to published research results and electronic sources in the history of science. It is also a platform for sharing ongoing research projects that develop digital tools.
Researchers at the Institute benefit from an internal library service. The Institute’s research is also made accessible to the wider public through edited Feature Stories and the Mediathek’s audio and video content.
The Max Planck Institute for the History of Science frequently shares news, including calls for papers and career opportunities. The Media & Press section highlights press releases and the Institute's appearances in national and global media. Public events—including colloquia, seminars, and workshops—are shown on the events overview.
These pages present the range of opportunities to work at the MPIWG. They list current advertisements for jobs and fellowships, explain the framework of each type of role, provide information on special programs, and describe the working environment at the Institute.
This digital library is a database of texts and images from the fifteenth century on the usage of optical instruments for depictions in the arts and sciences.
