Michelle DiMeo
Michelle DiMeo was vice president of research and digital strategy and Arnold Thackray Director of the Othmer Library until 2026. She brought over 15 years of cultural heritage leadership to this role, gained through additional experience at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and Hagley Museum and Library.
Michelle’s research focuses on the history of women, science, and medicine, specializing in 17th-century England. She is the author of Lady Ranelagh: The Incomparable Life of Robert Boyle’s Sister (University of Chicago Press, 2021), part of the Institute’s Synthesis Book Series. Since 2025, she has served as associate editor of Endeavour, an international journal dedicated to the history and philosophy of science. Her previous teaching experience includes positions at the University of Pennsylvania, Lehigh University, Georgia Tech, and the University of Warwick, where she received her PhD in 2009.
Fellowships
- Allington Fellow, 2013–2014
More from Michelle DiMeo
Earthly Matters
Explore a unique collection of minerals that tells the story of human curiosity about the material world around us.
New Biography by Institute’s Library Director Unveils Life and Legacy of Unknown Woman Scientist
Michelle DiMeo’s ‘Lady Ranelagh: The Incomparable Life of Robert Boyle’s Sister’ tells the compelling story of a forgotten 17th-century thinker.
Nature: An Incomparable Intellectual Who Fell through the Cracks of History
Leading science journal reviews book on Lady Ranelagh written by Institute’s library director.
Dr. Butler and the Quest for the Philosophers’ Stone
How searching for alchemy’s secrets helped create modern science.