Matthias Schemmel studied physics and astronomy at the University of Hamburg and at Nanjing University, China. He studied history at the Humboldt University of Berlin where he obtained his doctoral degree in the field of early modern mechanics. He is a senior research scholar at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin. His research interests include the long-term development of fundamental structures of physical and mathematical knowledge, the history of early modern mechanics, the history of modern physics and astronomy, the history of Chinese science, and the transfer of knowledge between cultures.