Interview with Professor Seb Falk

Seb Falk is a historian of medieval science and a Fellow of Girton College at the University of Cambridge, where he teaches the history of science, technology, and medicine. His research focuses on medieval astronomy, calculation, instrumentation, and the practical ways scholars engaged with the natural world. Falk is best known for his award-winning book The Light Ages, which challenges common misconceptions about the Middle Ages by revealing the sophistication and global connections of medieval scientific culture. His work combines close study of manuscripts and instruments with accessible storytelling, offering fresh insight into how medieval scholars observed, measured, and understood the cosmos.

In our interview, we discussed a variety of topics, such as "lost" inventions, cultural exchange, and the "exceptional" life of John of Westwyk, through which Professor Falk told the story of medieval science and technology in his book The Light Ages.