Karine Chemla

{{short description|French historian of mathematics and sinologist (born 1957)}}

File:Karine Chemla (cropped).jpg in 2009]]

Karine Chemla (born 8 February 1957) is a French historian of mathematics and sinologist who works as a director of research at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). She is also a senior fellow at the New York University Institute for the Study of the Ancient World.{{citation|url=http://isaw.nyu.edu/people/senior-fellows/karine-chemla-1|title=Karine Chemla|work=Senior Fellows|date=23 October 2012|publisher=NYU ISAW|accessdate=2015-10-15}}. She was elected a Member of the American Philosophical Society in 2019.

Education

Chemla studied at Paris Diderot University and the École normale supérieure de jeunes filles, earning an agrégation in mathematics in 1978 and a diploma of advanced studies in 1979. At this time, her work was in pure mathematics. However, in 1980, influenced by the work of Ilya Prigogine, she won a Singer–Polignac scholarship to travel to China and study the history of Chinese mathematics.{{citation|title=Laudatio Karine Chemla|first=Liesbeth|last=De Mol|pages=9–12|journal=Sartoniana|volume=27|year=2014|url=http://www.sartonchair.ugent.be/file/288}}. Returning to France, she earned her Ph.D. in the history of mathematics from Paris 13 University in 1982, and began working for CNRS at that time.{{citation|url=http://www.leopoldina.org/fileadmin/redaktion/Mitglieder/CV_Chemla_Karine_EN.pdf|title=Curriculum vitae: Karine Chemla|publisher=Leopoldina|accessdate=2015-10-15}}.

Contributions

Chemla's research interests include Chinese mathematics, 19th century French geometry, and the theory of the history of mathematics.{{citation|url=http://www.sphere.univ-paris-diderot.fr/spip.php?article78&lang=en|title=CHEMLA Karine|publisher=Lab. SPHERE (Sciences, Philosophy, History), CNRS|accessdate=2015-10-15}}.

With Guo Shuchun, Chemla published in 2004 a critical edition and translation into French of The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art.{{citation

| last = Volkov | first = Alexei

| doi = 10.1016/j.hm.2009.07.010

| issue = 2

| journal = Historia Mathematica

| pages = 281–301

| title = Commentaries upon commentaries: The translation of the Jiu zhang suan shu 九章算術 by Karine Chemla and Guo Shuchun

| volume = 37

| year = 2010| doi-access =

}}.{{citation

| last = Miao | first = Tian

| department = Review

| issue = 4/5

| journal = T'oung Pao

| jstor = 4529052

| pages = 511–513

| series = Second Series

| title = Reviewed Work: Les Neuf Chapitres. Le Classique mathématique de la Chine ancienne et ses commentaires by Karine Chemla, Shuchun Guo

| volume = 92

| year = 2006}}.{{citation

| last = Raphals | first = Lisa

| department = Review

| doi = 10.1086/519096

| issue = 1

| journal = Isis

| pages = 175–176

| title = Reviewed Work: Les neuf chapitres: Le classique mathématique de la Chine ancienne et ses commentaires by Karine Chemla, Guo Shuchun, Geoffrey Lloyd

| volume = 98

| year = 2007}}. She is also the co-editor, with Cécile Michel, of Mathematics, Administrative and Economic Activities in Ancient Worlds (Springer, 2020).{{citation|title=Review of Mathematics, Administrative and Economic Activities in Ancient Worlds|work=MAA Reviews|publisher=Mathematical Association of America|first=Duncan J.|last=Melville|date=August 2021|url=https://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/mathematics-administrative-and-economic-activities-in-ancient-worlds}}

Recognition

Chemla was an invited speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians in 1998.{{citation|url=https://www.mathunion.org/icm-plenary-and-invited-speakers?combine=Chemla|title=ICM Plenary and Invited Speakers since 1897|publisher=International Mathematical Union|accessdate=2015-10-01}}.{{citation|last=Chemla|first=Karine|chapter=History of Mathematics: A Factor in World History and a Source for New Questions|title=Doc. Math. (Bielefeld) Extra Vol. ICM Berlin, 1998, vol. III|year=1998|pages=789–798|chapter-url=https://www.elibm.org/ft/10011633000}}

She became a member of the Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2004,{{citation|url=http://www.leopoldina.org/en/members/list-of-members/member/1079/|title=Prof. Dr. Karine Chemla|work=List of Members|publisher=Leopoldina|accessdate=2015-10-15}}. of the International Academy of the History of Science in 2005, and of the Academia Europaea in 2013.{{citation|url=http://www.ae-info.org/ae/User/Chemla_Karine|title=Member profile: Karine Chemla|publisher=Academia Europaea|accessdate=2015-10-15}}. In 2013–2014 she was the holder of the Sarton Chair of History of Science at Ghent University.{{citation|url=http://www.sartonchair.ugent.be/en/pastchairholders|title=Sarton Chair of History of Science: Past chair holders|publisher=Ghent University|accessdate=2015-10-15}}. She served as president of the European Society for the History of Science 2014–2016.{{Cite web |title=Scientific Board |url=https://www.eshs.org/scientific-board/ |access-date=November 29, 2024 |website=European Society for the History of Science}} She is the 2020 winner of the Otto Neugebauer Prize{{citation|url=https://euro-math-soc.eu/news/20/05/8/prize-winners-announced|title=Prize Winners Announced|publisher=European Mathematical Society|date=8 May 2020|access-date=2020-05-08 |archive-date=2020-12-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230123245/https://euro-math-soc.eu/news/20/05/8/prize-winners-announced|url-status=dead}} and the 2021 winner of the LMS-BSHM Hirst Prize.