Ad Maas is a professor by special appointment in Museological Aspects of the Natural Sciences on behalf of Rijksmuseum Boerhaave, at the Centre for the Arts in Society. He is Curator of Modern Natural Sciences of Rijksmuseum Boerhaave. Maas specializes in the history of physics, history of scientific collecting, 19th century Dutch science and society, and museologcial aspects of modern scientific heritage

More information about Ad Maas

Ad Maad started out with a study of physics, then moved to history and by pursuing a PhD-research on history of physics both fields of interest coalesced. That’s how he became a historian of science.

He has been working as a curator in Rijksmuseum Boerhaave since 2004. He organized exhibitions on - for instance - Albert Einstein, Philips Research, Dutch energy-history, Newton in the Netherlands and artificial intelligence. His research is often related to the collection of Rijksmuseum Boerhaave. A special field of interest are museological issues connected to modern scientific heritage. Furthermore, he studies Dutch science and society in the 19th century.   

Ad Maas is main editor of Wonderkamer: magazine voor wetenschapsgeschiedenis, and write script and text for historical comics.

CV

• 2001 PhD-thesis: Atomisme en individualisme: de Amsterdamse natuurkunde tussen 1877 en 1940 (Hilversum 2001)
• 2002-2003 Postdoc Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (TALENT-grant NWO)
• 2004-now Curator Rijksmuseum Boerhaave
• 2015-2019 Book review editor Isis Journal
• 2015-2016 Blaubeen Fellowship Koninklijk Zeeuwsch Genootschap der Wetenschappen en University College Roosevelt
• 2020-now Founder and main editor Wonderkamer: magazine voor wetenschapsgeschiedenis
• 2022-now professor by special appointment in Museological Aspects of the Natural Sciences

Publications

Books

A. Maas, H. Schatz (eds.), Physics as a calling, science for society (Leiden University Press: Leiden 2013).

D. van Delft, A. Maas, Philips Research: 100 jaar ontdekkingen die ertoe doen (W-Books: Zutphen 2013) [English edition: Philips Research: 100 years of inventions that matter].

T. Huisman, A. Maas, Knappe koppen: geschiedenis van de wetenschap in Nederland (W Books: Zutphen 2013).

E. Jorink, A. Maas (eds.), Newton and the Netherlands: how Isaac Newton was fashioned in  the Dutch Republic (Leiden University Press: Leiden 2012).

T. Cocquyt, A. Maas (eds.), Verborgen krachten: Nederlanders op zoek naar energie  (Verloren: Hilversum 2011).

A. Maas, H. Hooijmaijers (eds.), Scientific research in World War II: what scientists did in the  war (Routledge; London, New York: 2009).

A. Maas, Atomisme en individualisme: de Amsterdamse natuurkunde tussen 1977 en 1940 (Verloren: Hilversum 2001).

Articles and chapter (peer reviewed)

R.L. Kremer, A. Maas, ‘A tale of reviews in two history of science journals’, Studia Historia  Scientarium 20 (2021) 755-785.

A. Maas. ‘History of science museums between academics and audiences’, Isis 108 (2017)  360-365.

A. Maas, ‘Johan Rudolph Thorbecke’s revenge: objectivity and the rise of the Dutch nation  state’, in: J. van Dongen, H. Paul (eds.) Epistemic virtues in the sciences and the humanities  [Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science] (Boston: Springer 2017) 173-193.

A. Maas, ‘How to put a blackbox in a showcase: history of science museums and their recent  heritage’, Studies in the history and philosophy of science 44 (2013) 660-668.

A. Maas, ‘The man who erased himself: Willem Jacob ‘s Gravesande and the  Enlightenment’, in: E. Jorink, A. Maas (eds.), Newton and the Netherlands: how Isaac

Newton was fashioned in the Dutch Republic (Leiden University Press: Leiden 2012) 113- 138.

A. Maas, ‘Civil Scientists: Dutch scientists between 1750 and 1875’, History of science 48  (2010) 75-103.

A. Maas, ‘Ordinary scientists in extraordinary circumstances’, in: A. Maas, H. Hooijmaijers  (eds.), Scientific research in World War II: what scientists did in the war (Routledge; London,  New York 2009) 1-11.

A. Maas, ‘Einsteins as engineer: the case of the Little Machine’, Physics in perspective 9  (2007) 305-328.

A. Maas ‘Institutionalised individualism: Amsterdam physics between the World Wars’,  Centaurus 46 (2004) 30-59.

A. Maas ‘Tachtigers in de wetenschap: een nieuwe kijk op het ontstaan van de Tweede  Gouden Eeuw in de Nederlandse natuurwetenschap’, Tijdschrift voor geschiedenis 114  (2001) 354-376.

Activities