Academic biography

Juliana Adelman has a BSc in Biological Sciences from Stanford University, an MSc in Science Communication from Dublin City University and a PhD in History from the National University of Ireland, Galway. In her previous life as a biology student she was interested in bacterial pathogenesis. Her current research focus is on the history of Ireland and Britain during the nineteenth century. Her first monograph examined popular science and science education in nineteenth-century Ireland. She is currently working on the history of relationships between humans and other organisms, particularly animals and diseases. Her second monograph examined human-animal relationships in nineteenth-century Dublin.  She also has an interest in food history.

Juliana enjoys engaging the public in historical research in a variety of ways. With journalist Catherine Cleary and producer Claire Cunningham she created the radio series 'History on a Plate' for RTE. For over six years she wrote a history of science column for the Irish Times. During the pandemic, she co-created two podcasts. 'The Comfort Feed' returned to the subject of food and history with Catherine Cleary. 'What would Shackleton do?' explored the advice of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton in troubled times with the help of Kevin Kenny from the Shackleton Museum in Athy.

Juliana is an editor of Irish Economic and Social History (an international peer-review journal) and a founding member of the History of Science, Technology and Medicine Network Ireland.