William Krause

I am a sixth-year doctoral candidate in modern American history, with particular interests in U.S. intellectual and cultural history, political economy, and the history of science since the 1890s.

My dissertation, “American Genius: A History of the Concept in the Modern United States,” tracks the surprising debates about individual genius in the U.S., beginning with public discourse about invention and technological change in the late nineteenth century. The project has been supported by fellowships from the Smithsonian Institution, the American Philosophical Society, the Rockefeller Archive Center, and the Consortium for History of Science, Technology, and Medicine, among others. Beyond the dissertation, my other ongoing projects include a history of the Einstein Papers Project and a cultural history of sensitivity training during the Cold War.

Before coming to Vanderbilt, I worked at the Johns Hopkins University Press. There, I assisted with the lists in History of STEM and Ancient Studies. Working with a team of colleagues, I was also the project manager of a multi-year initiative, Hopkins Open Publishing: Encore Edition, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through the initiative, we selected some of the most academically significant out-of-print books at JHUP and created open-access digital editions of these works.

I enjoy teaching at Vanderbilt, and I have designed and taught several research seminars on creativity and science studies. In addition, I work as a consultant at Vanderbilt’s Writing Studio, where I help undergraduates learn the fundamentals of college writing and academic argumentation. When I am off-campus, I love swimming, reading fiction, and exploring Nashville’s food scene.

Please reach out if you are interested in my research or teaching!