Photo by Chris Taylor / U.S. Department of the Treasury

David Singerman

Assistant Professor of History and American Studies

NAU 484
Office Hours: By Appointment via Zoom until Oct.17, then M/T, 3:00-4:00PM

Field & Specialties

History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
History of Capitalism
Science and Technology Studies (STS)
Environmental History

Education

  • PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014
  • MPhil, University of Cambridge, 2007
  • BA, Columbia University, 2006

Biography

David Singerman is a historian of science, technology, medicine, and capitalism. His first book, Unrefined: How Capitalism Reinvented Sugar will be published in September 2025 by the University of Chicago Press. His second book project is a new history of drugs and performance in sports.

His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, Social Science Research Council, and Chemical Heritage Foundation, among others. In 2015 his dissertation was awarded prizes for best dissertation in business history by the Business History Conference and the Association of Business Historians (UK). Before coming to UVA he was a postdoctoral associate at Rutgers University and a research associate at Harvard Business School.

Photo by Chris Taylor / U.S. Department of the Treasury

Publications

Journal articles and book chapters

Newspapers

Interviews

Online essays

Pieces for Bunkhistory.org

Courses Taught

From fall 2024 through spring 2026, Prof. Singerman will be teaching Engagements courses in the College Fellows program.

Current courses

  • HIST 3501 Workshop: Sugar and Global History
  • AMST 3001 Theories and Methods of American Studies
  • HIUS 2101 Technologies of American Life

Previous courses

  • HIST 1501 The Global Financial Crisis of 2008
  • HIST 1501 Corruption and Fraud
  • AMST 3559 Science and Democracy in America