Assistant Director’s Biography
John C. Powers

John Powers is a Collateral Assistant Professor in the Department of History, Virginia Commonwealth University. He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University and a PhD in the History and Philosophy of Science from Indiana University. His research focuses on the history of chemistry and alchemy during the Scientific Revolution, natural philosophy and medicine in early modern universities, and the developmental of empirical and experimental methods in science.  His current book project is called, Inventing Chemistry:  Herman Boerhaave and the Reform of the Chemical Arts, for which he has received a National Science Foundation Scholar’s Award.  His notable publications include:  “‘Ars sine arte:’ Nicholas Lemery and the End of Alchemy in Eighteenth-Century France,” Ambix, 45 (1998):  163-89 and  “Chemistry Enters the University:  Herman Boerhaave and the Reform of the Chemical Arts,” History of Universities, 25 (2006):  77-116.