Smithsonian museums continue to be closed to support the effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. No re-opening date is available at this time. Check our website and social media for updates. Read a message from our director.

Profile profile for DaemmrichA

Ph.D., Cornell University
B.A., University of Pennsylvania

Arthur Daemmrich is director of the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the Smithsonian Institution. His research explores the emergence of innovative business sectors, with a focus on the pharmaceutical industry, chemicals sector, and comparative studies of healthcare systems. Daemmrich has published in science and technology studies, history of science, technology and medicine, and health and business policy. Before joining the Smithsonian in 2015, he was an associate professor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, assistant professor at Harvard Business School and a visiting professor at the China Europe International Business School. 

Research Specialties: 

History of science, technology, and medicine; pharmaceutical sciences; chemical industry; risk and regulation; environmental history; healthcare systems and healthcare policy

Projects: 
  • Invention, employment, and industrial revolutions
  • Chemical testing and innovation in the United States and European Union, 1980-2010
  • Regulation of the pharmaceutical industry, 1906-present
Professional Affiliations: 
  • Society for the History of Technology
  • American Chemical Society
  • American Institute of the History of Pharmacy