About me

Writer, historian, traveller, runner, musician. 

I live between Montreal, Canada and Tampere, Finland. I am the author or editor of 14 books of historical non-fiction, as well as dozens of articles, book chapters, and reviews. My works have been translated into twelve languages. I've also written popular essays for Aeon Magazine, History Today, and Psychology Today.

I'm chiefly known as an historian of emotions, experience, science and medicine, with a special interest in the biocultural history of the human being. I am also an expert in pain studies, the history of medical experimentation, and interdisciplinary engagement. Trained as a modern British historian, I now range from antiquity to the present, with global coverage. London in the 1880s is still my comfort zone.

I currently work as Senior Research Fellow at the Research Council of Finland Centre of Excellence in the History of Experiences (HEX), Tampere University and as professeur associé in the Department of Social Studies of Medicine, McGill University. I have previously held positions at Bard College Berlin, Harvard University, the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, and Freie Universität Berlin. I have a PhD from the University of York and I'm a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Finnish Historical Society. 

I have run four marathons and many half marathons. I run upto 3000km a year.

I have played guitar for 30 years. I write songs with my eight-year-old son.

I've visted 32 countries, I think. I'm working on the rest.