Matthias Schemmel is a Senior Research Scholar at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG). He studies the historical development of structures of knowledge connected to the exact sciences in their cognitive, material, and social dimensions, both from a long-term and a global perspective. The aim is to achieve an understanding of the place, epistemic status, and impact of scientific knowledge within human societies. In working toward this goal, he has pursued empirical (source-based) research in different areas marked by important knowledge transformations. These areas are the emergence of theoretical science in ancient societies; transformations within the medieval and early modern European knowledge systems; the transfer of knowledge between cultures, particularly China and the West; and the reorganization of the knowledge of physics, astronomy, and their neighboring disciplines in the twentieth century. A particular focus of his research is external, or material, representations of knowledge such as manuscripts and the role they play in the transmission and transformation of knowledge. In this context he also works on various digital editions of manuscripts and handwritten artifacts. Current research and teaching activities examine the political dimension of science and the role of science in the Anthropocene.