Susannah Gibson
Non-fiction writer
About
Susannah Gibson is a historian specialising in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries with a particular focus on history of science and women’s history. Recent books include Bluestockings (John Murray, 2024) which explores the lives of the pioneering eighteenth-century women who advocated for female education and argued that women were capable of rational thought, and The Spirit of Inquiry (Oxford University Press, 2019) which tells the story of how science changed from a fringe activity pursued by eccentrics into the behemoth we know today.
Susannah began her career in academia and has degrees in experimental physics and history as well as a PhD in history from the University of Cambridge. Next, she was manager of Cambridge Literary Festival. Since 2015, she has been writing popular books full time. Her work has appeared on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 3, and she has spoken at the Hay Festival and many other literary and science events. She enjoys writing book reviews for publications including the TLS.
Originally from Dublin, Susannah now lives in Cambridge with her family.