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James Byrne is a historian who specializes in the history of medieval and early modern science. He received a BA in History and Math from Columbia University and earned a PhD in History from Princeton University in 2007. He joined the Herbst Program in 2024, and has also taught at the U.S. Air Force Academy; the late, lamented Quest University in British Columbia; and the Princeton University Writing Program. James has published on the history of mathematics, astronomy, and the physical sciences, and is currently working on a book on the teaching of astronomy at medieval universities before Copernicus.

In the classroom, James focuses on helping students use history as a tool for understanding the present and how our thinking about current issues is shaped by our histories. He also focuses on helping students use writing and creative expression as means for developing their thinking. Now that he is at Herbst, he is excited about helping engineering students find ways to link their engineering practices more deeply to their social and cultural contexts and to use their thinking about engineering and technology to engage with issues they care about.