A PhD candidate from the Department of History and Philosophy of Science has been awarded the Freer Prize Fellowship from the Royal Institution. Sheryl Wombell was awarded the prize for the 2024/2025 academic year, for her research into the spread of medical knowledge among 17th-century elites.
The Freer Prize Fellowship is given to doctoral candidates looking to research the history of science. Named for Philip Freer, the scientist and philanthropist, it supports academics pursuing research that can solve current challenges in science. Winners of the Freer Prize are provided with a stipend by the Studentship Trust to continue their research. The Royal Institution also provides them with assistance and opportunities for science communication, publication, and applying for other research grants.
Wombell will continue her research into how medical knowledge was transferred between moving elites, and how this affected knowledge of the subject. Her work so far has involved three case studies of men moving across 17th-century Europe. Their journeys led them through several medical cultures, and Wombell's research explores the challenges this posed, and how they communicated and verified medical knowledge.
She hopes her project can reveal more about how human movement affects our ability to discern scientific truth. This research is very relevant to our modern globalised society, where large amounts of information make scientific communication increasingly difficult.
"I am absolutely thrilled to be a recipient of a 2024 RI Freer Prize Fellowship," said Wombell. "Not only does the fellowship mean I will have the necessary funding to complete my PhD project, but it also represents a unique and exciting opportunity to reach new audiences with my research."