We are pleased to announce the Spring 2026 series of the Oxford Seminar in the History of Alchemy and Chemistry. Please find the programme below.
Oxford Seminar in the History of Alchemy and Chemistry
Convenors: Ellen Hausner (Oxford), Sergei Zotov (Warburg), and Jo Hedesan (Oxford)
The meetings take place between 3 pm and 5 pm at the Maison Française d’Oxford.
13 May 2026
Session 1 — Life and Nature in Early Modern Alchemy Chair: Sergei Zotov (Warburg Institute)
Oana Matei (Western University of Arad): Can Life Rise from Ashes? Discussions on the Possibility of the Palingenesis of Plants in the Seventeenth Century
Xinyi Wen (Warburg Institute): Cosmos or Coitus? A Copy Census of Oswald Croll’s Basilica Chymica, 1609–1690
20 May 2026
Session 2 — Spiritual Foundations of Alchemy Chair: Ellen Hausner (Oxford)
Mark Edwards (Oxford): Ancient Alchemy as Philosophy
Charles Burnett (Warburg Institute): Alchemy as Divination
3 June 2026
Session 3 — Computational History of Alchemy and Chemistry Chair: Rob Iliffe (Oxford)
Vojtěch Kaše (University of West Bohemia, Plzeň), and Sarah Lang (Max Planck Institute, Berlin): Tracing the Histories of Early Modern Conceptual Ecosystems: Remote Sensing Methods for the Archaeology of Alchemical Knowledge
Guillermo Restrepo (Max Planck Institute, Leipzig): Computational History of Chemistry: How Big Data Illuminates Macrohistorical Trends and Microhistorical Events
Professor John C. Powers (Virginia Commonwealth University) will present Defending the New Chemistry: The Columbian Chemical Society of Philadelphia, c. 1811-13 This will be live on Thursday, 26 March 2026, beginning at 5.00pm (London time). The format will be a talk of 20-30 minutes, followed by a moderated discussion of half an hour.
From this seminar we are changing the system for registering to attend the event. To register please e-mail meetings@ambix.org with ‘SHAC on-line seminar’ in the subject line. You will then be sent a Zoom link on the morning of the seminar.
The seminar will be also accessible live on YouTube at:
Defending the New Chemistry: The Columbian Chemical Society of Philadelphia, c. 1811-13
John C. Powers
During the first decade of the 19th Century, several tenets of Lavoisier’s antiphlogistic chemistry had come under serious scrutiny through the work of Thomas Thomson, Humphry Davy and other British chemists. Details of this work quickly crossed the Atlantic and became a topic of discussion and debate among American chemists and physicians. In Philadelphia, two Professors of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, James Woodhouse (prof. 1795-1809) and John Redman Coxe (prof. 1809-18) embraced the British critiques of the new chemistry and exposed the new chemistry’s weaknesses to their students. Coxe, in fact, published a book, Observations on Combustion and Acidification (1811) in which, following suggestions from Davy, he advocated a return to a version of the phlogiston theory.
In a curious twist, many chemistry and medical students in Philadelphia did not support their professors’ critical approach to the new chemistry. In 1811 students founded the Columbian Chemical Society of Philadelphia, an organization which provided an outlet for them to present their own practical work in chemistry as well as refute claims which undermined Lavoisier’s views. This talk will examine some of the papers by these students, who went on to have careers as prominent chemists or physicians, such as Thomas D. Mitchell, Franklin Bache, and James Cutbush, and provide some context regarding the ongoing debate over the new chemistry in the United States.
SHAC is delighted to announce that the new Editor-in-Chief of Ambix, Professor Annette Lykknes, is the winner of the Joseph B. Lambert HIST Award for Outstanding Achievement in the History of Chemistry for 2026 for her outstanding contributions to the advancement of the study and communication of the history of chemistry. In her nominating letter, Brigitte van Tiggelen lauded Professor Lykknes: “She acts as a figurehead for our discipline, embodying the values and ideals that make our field vibrant, creative, beneficial and inclusive.” See the current issue of SHAC’s newsletter Chemical Intelligence for full details.
HIST Award Biography for Annette Lykknes (1974-)
The winner of the Joseph B. Lambert HIST Award for Outstanding Achievement in the History of Chemistry for 2026 is Annette Lykknes for her outstanding contributions to the advancement of the study and communication of the history of chemistry. In her nominating letter, Brigitte van Tiggelen lauded Professor Lykknes: “She acts as a figurehead for our discipline, embodying the values and ideals that make our field vibrant, creative, beneficial and inclusive.”
Professor Lykknes is a true daughter of Norway, but she has become a mother of the European community of the history of chemistry. She was educated at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). She received a Masters degree in Chemical Education and taught mathematics and science for two years. While her interest in education remains a driving force for her, she decided to pursue a Ph.D. in the history of chemistry and obtained this in 2005 at NTNU under Prof. Lise Kvittingen, with thesis titled “Ellen Gleditsch: Professor, Radiochemist, and Mentor.” Now she combines both pillars of her profession as Professor of Teacher Education at NTNU.
One of the secrets of her success is her commitment to an interdisciplinary approach to her scholarship. In her own words: “Over the course of my academic career, I have collaborated extensively with chemists and other natural scientists as well as with educators within these fields, with historians, philosophers and sociologists of science, with pedagogy scholars and with language experts and researchers of the Norwegian language, and even with a political scientist. The result of this is a foot in different fields and knowledge of quite distinct research methods and theoretical perspectives.”
The Award committee noted: “Professor Lykknes has contributed to an amazing array of research topical areas including: history of women scientists, studies of the collaborations of couples in science, history of the periodic table, discovery of the chemical elements, history of chemical education, how twentieth-century chemical engineers shaped the relationships between the academy and industries, and the application of the history of science to teach science.” Alan Rocke especially noted her treatment of the work of Marie Curie as “revealing the complex nature of scientific discovery itself.”
Annette Lykknes is at the center of the worldwide community of historians of chemistry.. She is now the Editor-in-Chief of the flagship journal Ambix. She is currently the Chair of the Division of the History of Chemistry of the European Chemical Society. While her publication record is sterling, and her research is groundbreaking, her greatest achievements have been as a leader.
HIST is thrilled to honor Professor Annette Lykknes with the 2026 Joseph B. Lambert Award for Outstanding Achievement in the History of Chemistry.
Society for theHistory ofAlchemy andChemistry AwardScheme 2026
Opening date: 1 March 2026
Closing date forapplications: 31 May 2026
The Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry invites applications for its Award Scheme for 2026. SHAC offers two types of award: support for research into the history of chemistry or history of alchemy by both new and independent scholars and support for Subject Development of either history of chemistry or history of alchemy. It is expected that applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application by 31 July 2026.
The Awards are most suitable for activities planned to be undertaken during the period 1 August 2026– 30 September 2027. In exceptional circumstances applications may be considered for activities which occur between the deadline on 31 May and 31 July, but this must be brought to the attention of SHAC when submitting the application for the Award. A two-year window for completion of all Awards will be given. Research Awards are open to post-graduate students (both masters and doctoral students), those who have obtained a PhD since 1 January 2016 and also to independent scholars. Given that the circumstances of independent scholars differ we are letting members ‘self-define’ and if there are any unclear cases it will be left to the discretion of the Awards Panel.
Awards of up to £1000 will be made to cover research expenses, including travel, accommodation, subsistence (at the discretion of the award panel), the copying or scanning of documents, and library fees. Applications may also include the costs of reproducing images for publication. The Scheme does not fund the purchase of equipment or course fees. It does not cover the costs of Open Access publication. In addition, those who have obtained a PhD since 1 January 2016 and independent scholars may apply for the costs of travel to conferences and accommodation, but only in order to give a paper. There is an expectation that awardees will attend the entire conference, unless there are exceptional circumstances. The Scheme does not pay conference registration fees. Subject Development Awards of up to £1000
may be made to support activities such as seminars, workshops, colloquia, lecture series, conference sessions, conferences, exhibitions and outreach activities that support either the history of chemistry or history of alchemy as academic subjects. The Awards do not cover the costs of refreshments or catering for these events or honoraria for speakers. The Scheme does not cover the costs of Open Access publication. Please note that activities covered by the Awards do not have to occur in the UK, and that the Awards are open to members of the Society resident both in the UK and elsewhere. Members who have applied to the Scheme in previous years, whether successfully or not, are entitled to make an application in 2026.
Applicants must be members of the Society in good standing at the time of making an application, and, if successful, throughout the period of an award.
For more information and application forms, please contact grants@ambix.org. Membership enquiries should be made to newjoiner@ambix.org.
An activity report must be submitted at the end of the Award. This will usually be published in SHAC’s Chemical Intelligence newsletter.
