Thomas Söderqvist

Museumschef Emeritus, professor

ths@sund.ku.dk |

I stepped down as director of Medical Museion in 2015, and as professor by October 1, 2016. Now I am emeritus professor.

MY 15+ YEARS AS DIRECTOR (1999-2015)

I came to the University of Copenhagen as professor in history of medicine in 1999. Asked to take the responsibility of the university’s medical collections, I worked out the concept for a new kind of museum institution, which emphasised the integration of research, experimental exhibition making, and curatorship. In 2004 the project officially got its current name, Medical Museion.

As the first (founding) director of Medical Museion, I was responsible for everything: research and teaching, exhibitions, events, acquisitions, web outreach, etc. (but not conservation).

Thanks to generous grants from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, I was able to hire a growing number of PhD-students, postdocs/assistant professors and curators.

I have also had the pleasure to produce and curate several exhibitions and art installations, including Primary Substances, Healthy Ageing, An Ageing World, and Genomic Enlightenment.

MY EARLIER CAREER (1965-1999)

My undergraduate academic training at the University of Stockholm in zoology, chemistry and paleontology was followed by postgraduate work in philosophy of science and history of science at the University of Umeå and the University of Gothenburg. I earned my PhD in ‘theory of science’ (Swedish ‘vetenskapsteori’) from the University of Gothenburg in 1986.

I got my first job as lecturer at the University of Roskilde, and taught history and philosophy of biology and science studies for more than 25 years. In the late 1990s I had a 5-year research professorship in science studies.

PUBLICATIONS

I have a long track record of academic publications in history of 20th century ecology, history of 20th century immunology, historiography of contemporary science, biographical methodology, research ethics (virtue ethics) and science museology, and have also produced a fairly large number of popular writings. Most of my publications after 2005 are also listed in the University of Copenhagen publication database.

SOCIAL MEDIA OUTPUT

In 2005, I started a blog called Biomedicine on Display to encourage discussions about medical museology, and over the last ten years I have written more than 1000 blogposts; in 2011 the blog was merged with Medical Museion’s website (www.museion.ku.dk).

I have also spent much time and energy to contribute to the international museological discussion by writing >5000 tweets under the name of @museionist.

CURRENT INTERESTS

My current research interest is quite different from anything I have done before. I am now working on a project called ‘The Ageing Professor”. In short, I’m using my own career as a case to better understand the ageing academic. Read more on my independent website www.canities.dk, or follow frequent postings on my Facebok profile, and my twitter account @AgeingProfessor.

MORE …

For details about my academic career, see this short autobiography, or read this biographical interview, or my curriculum vitae.

The point of museums is to play with material stuff

Thomas Söderqvist

Here’s my talk at the night of discussion titled ‘What the hell is the point of museums?’ held at Medical Museion November 3, 2016

november 10, 2016

The muse is political — the museum is political

Thomas Söderqvist

In last issue of the journal Isis (vol 107, nr 2, 2016), twelwe scholars discuss different aspects of The History Manifesto from the vantage point of the history of science, technology and medicine.

august 30, 2016

Materialitet og sanselighed – om at bryde visualitetens tyranni på museer

Thomas Söderqvist

Tale ved åbningen af udstillingen MetaScent på Medicinsk Museion, onsdag 14. maj 2014

maj 20, 2014

Science in the Arts seminar at Medical Museion on 9 April, 1-2 pm

Thomas Söderqvist

On 9 April 9, the international art laboratory Hotel Pro Forma organizes a seminar discussing the connections between science and artistic process in collaboration with Medical Musieon, the Center for Healthy Aging at the University of Copenhagen, and the research project Robot Culture and Aesthetics (University of Copenhagen).

marts 25, 2014

Vetenskapsmuseer och den materiella vändningen i humaniora – biopolitisk abdikation eller medborgarengagemang?

Thomas Söderqvist

Hvis du tilfældgvis er i Lund om eftermiddagen torsdag den 13. marts, er du meget velkommen til mit seminar på Institutionen för Kulturvetenskaper vid Lunds Universitet. Jeg skal tala om de biopolitiske implikationer af at fokusere på ‘tingen i sig’. Her er abstractet: Vetenskapsmuseer och den materiella vändningen i humaniora – biopolitisk abdikation eller medborgarengagemang? […]

marts 3, 2014

Thomas Söderqvists tale ved åbningen af MEDICOTEKNIK, 27. november 2013

Thomas Söderqvist

Her er min tale (på svensk) ved åbningen af MEDICOTEKNIK, onsdag den 27. november: Goddag allesamman, jag heter Thomas Söderqvist, jag är professor i medicinhistoria på SUND-fakulteten vid Köpenhamns Universitet, och museumschef härinne på Medicinsk Museion. Jag tänkte jag skulle säga några ord om bakgrunden till den här utställningen. Som nu säkert har redan gissat, […]

december 2, 2013

Prodekan Birthe Høghs tale ved åbningen af MEDICOTEKNIK, den 27. november 2013

Thomas Söderqvist

Her følger den tale som prodekan Birthe Høgh, Det Sundhedsvidenskabelige Fakultet, Københavns Universitet, holdt i forbindelse med åbningen af udstillingen MEDICOTEKNIK onsdag den 27. november 2013: Først mange tak til formand Kim Dremstrup for invitationen – og et stort tillykke til Dansk Medicoteknisk Selskab med 40-årsjubilæet – som fejres med åbningen af Medicinsk Museions udstilling […]

december 2, 2013

Er det ubetinget godt at blive ved med at være nyskabende og nytænkende?

Thomas Söderqvist

Overvejelser med udgangspunkt i Ragnar Granits ”Discovery and Understanding” (1972) — præsenteret ved debatdag “Forskning og livsløb — har kreativiteten en udløbsdato?”, Medicinsk Museion, tirsdag den 8. oktober 2013. ”Bibeholdes kreativiteten og energien til at tænke nyt gennem hele livet?”, spurgte Carsten Hendriksen, Henning Kirk og Jesper Jørgensen i invitationen til den her eftermiddag om forskning, […]

oktober 16, 2013

Forskning og livsløb – har kreativiteten en udløbsdato? Debatdag på Medicinsk Museion den 8. oktober.

Thomas Söderqvist

Et af aldringsforskningens mere komplicerede emner er kompetence og kreativitet set i et livsperspektiv. Hvornår kan man “toppe” – og inden for hvad? Bibeholdes kreativiteten og energien til at tænke nyt gennem hele livet? Og hvad med udviklingen af modenhed og de egenskaber der beskrives med aldringens plusord? Center for Sund Aldring afholder en debatdag […]

september 4, 2013

Social media, research and museum curatorship — a concrete example

Thomas Söderqvist

This post was originally published on the official blog of the International Congress of the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, held in Manchester 22-28 July, as an appetiser for the paper “Understanding social media in STEM museums: the lessons from establishing a bio-hacking laboratory” that I co-authored with Karin Tybjerg and which Karin presented in the […]

juli 30, 2013

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