Current Research Areas: history and philosophy of biology, scientific transnationalism, evolutionary theory, intellectual history, historical epistemology
Thea is interested in the history and philosophy of post-war biology, focusing on international and interdisciplinary frictions in life sciences research and on the formation of scientific consensus. She is particularly interested in the afterlives of older natural history traditions and debates, and their contributions to biological research from the 20th century to today.
Thea received her B.A. in History and Germanic Studies, with a minor in Biological Sciences, from the University of Chicago in 2023. Her undergraduate thesis examined the origins of Stephen Jay Gould’s and Niles Eldredge’s theory of Punctuated Equilibrium, centering on Gould’s engagement with certain Germanophone evolutionary thinkers as a critic of the Modern Synthesis. Prior to joining HASTS, she worked as an analyst for a life sciences strategy consulting firm.