Emilie Savage-Smith

Emilie Savage-Smith, born in 1941, holds dual American-British citizenship and is a distinguished historian of science. Her academic career has focused on the scientific and medical advancements within the medieval Islamic world. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, with her doctoral research centering on Galen's work on anatomy, translated from Arabic.

Savage-Smith has held prominent academic positions, including Professor of the History of Islamic Science at the University of Oxford. She continues her association with Oxford as a Fellow Archivist at St Cross College and a senior research consultant for the Bodleian Library. Her earlier research experience includes work at the University of California, Los Angeles. She has also served as president of the Society for the History of Medieval Technology and Science. Her contributions have been recognized through fellowships and honorary degrees.

Emilie Savage-Smith is recognized for her extensive scholarship on the history of science and medicine in the medieval Islamic world. Her research delves into the intellectual traditions and scientific practices of this era, contributing significantly to our understanding of how knowledge was developed, transmitted, and applied. Her academic journey, marked by a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, laid the groundwork for her specialized focus on historical scientific texts and their translations. She has held professorial roles at institutions like the University of Oxford, where she has also been involved in archival and research consultation capacities, linking historical scholarship with major library collections. Her work bridges the history of science with broader cultural and intellectual history.

Savage-Smith has authored and co-authored several significant books that illuminate various facets of medieval Islamic science and culture. Her published works explore topics ranging from cartography in eleventh-century Cairo to the history of celestial globes and the practice of Islamic geomancy, a divinatory art. She has also collaborated on seminal texts concerning medieval Islamic medicine, making complex historical medical knowledge accessible. Beyond sole-authored or co-authored books, she has contributed as an editor and translator for critical editions and catalogues of historical manuscripts, further enhancing scholarly access to primary sources. Her book 'Medieval Islamic Medicine' received recognition with the British-Kuwait Friendship Society Book Prize.

The academic community has acknowledged Emilie Savage-Smith's substantial contributions through various honors and distinctions. She was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2010 and became a corresponding fellow of the Medieval Academy of America in 2020, signifying her standing within her field. DePauw University, her undergraduate alma mater, awarded her an honorary doctorate in 2014. The Scientific Instrument Society recognized her with the Turner Medal and invited her to deliver the Gerard Turner Memorial Lecturer in 2016. In 2019, a workshop was held in her honor at Oxford, celebrating her career and impact on the history of Islamic science, health, and related fields.