On 1 March 2014 Dr Silke Ackermann will join the MHS as successor to Professor Jim Bennett, who retired from the Museum on 30 September 2012.
Silke is regarded as one of the leading researchers on Western and Islamic scientific instruments and has established an international reputation for taking a cross-cultural and inter-disciplinary approach in museum work.
After joining the British Museum in 1995 as the first curator of European and Islamic scientific instruments, Silke radically transformed the image of ‘science’ in its displays and developed new ways of engaging with the public that have inspired similar schemes in the UK and abroad. During 16 years of working at the BM, Silke took on a wide range of leadership and management roles, which include leading the Museum’s experimental gallery (where she successfully delivered shows ranging from Ghanaian textiles to modern Japanese photography and pre-Columbian sculpture) and being part of the consultancy team for the new Zayed National Museum of Abu Dhabi. She has led on, and participated in, a number of research projects, most recently on the role of the astrolabe in medieval Jewish communities.
In early 2012 Silke left the BM to take up a professorship at the University of Applied Sciences in Schwerin (Germany) where she became course director of ‘Cultural studies in a modern world’ and ‘Key competencies in modern leadership’ and subsequently president of the University. Prior to joining the MHS Silke will focus with her Masters students on her consultancy work for a number of German museums.
Most recently, Silke was elected President of the Scientific Instrument Commission of the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science – a post that Jim Bennett also held previously.