Charlotte A. Abney Salomon
Director, Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry
Charlotte Abney is a historian of science and technology with a research focus on the discovery of elements in the context of Swedish mining mineralogy in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Her current book project is a history of the rare earth elements.
As the director of the Beckman Center, she runs the fellowship program, manages the Institute’s scholarly partnerships, and co-organizes research meetings and conferences, including the annual Cain Conference.
She holds a PhD in the history of science and medicine from Yale and a master’s in Scandinavian history from Linköping University in Sweden. She taught middle school science and high school chemistry for six years before obtaining her doctorate, and she currently teaches courses in the social history of science and technology at the University of Pennsylvania.