Biography
JJ Strange is a Ph.D. Candidate in the History of Science, Medicine, and Technology and East Asia History programs at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She is currently working on her dissertation project, tentatively titled “Defined by Molecules: Chemical discipline(s) and the reimagining of China’s botanical pharmacy 1900-1960,” which follows the creation and dissolution of a research program in China where chemists and pharmacists worked together to investigate Chinese herbs for biochemical properties. Situated at the intersection of the history of science, pharmacy, and STS, Defined by Molecules examines how these programs expanded across three major institutions, attracting both national interest and American scientific attention. While global pharmaceuticals shifted toward synthetic organic chemistry to avoid the logistical hurdles of botanical cultivation, China’s phytochemical momentum persisted. This project traces the trajectory of Chinese phytochemical research, documenting its evolution from localized interests to a globally significant enterprise. By applying chemical analysis to the traditional materia medica, Chinese chemists fundamentally transformed pharmaceutical and chemical disciplines.
Her research interests include the history of Modern China, chemistry, pharmacy, traditional Chinese medicine, 20th-century Chinese nationalism, Chinese scientism, and the intersection of research programs and political rhetoric. Along with her dissertation research, she has worked with UW–Madison’s School of Pharmacy at the American Institute to illuminate the lives and work of Chinese pharmacists who studied under Dr. Edward Kremers. She curated an exhibit in 2023 titled: “Translating Tradition: Traditional Chinese Medicine and UW–Madison School of Pharmacy.”
Education
M.A., University of Wisconsin Madison
M.A., Columbia University
B.A., University of Nevada, Reno
B.S., University of Nevada, Reno
Field
- History of Science, Medicine, and Technology
- East Asian History
M.A. Title
- “Building Molecules out of Characters: The Development of Organic Chemistry Nomenclature in China from 1850-1920”
Working Dissertation Title
- “Defined by Molecules: Chemical discipline(s) and the reimagining of Traditional Chinese Medicine 1915-1960”
Selected Publications
- Manuscript under Review: JJ R Strange, “From Herbal Remedy to Pill and back again: The Tale of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Mahuang in the United States 1920-2000s” in Roots and Remedies, ed. Lucas Richert and Matti Leprete. University of Pittsburgh Press.
Selected Awards
- Fulbright US Student 2023-24
Courses Taught as TA
- History of Science 201 – The Origins of Scientific Thought (F21, F22)
- History 201 – Shanghai Life and Crime (S25)
Courses Taught as Instructor
- Pharm Sci 563: History of Pharmacy: Dangerous Drugs and Magic Bullets (Fall 2026)
- History of Science 132 – Bees, Trees, Germs, and Genes: A History of Biology (Summer Term ’24)