Matthew S. Wiseman, PhD (he/him) is Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream in the Department of History at the University of Waterloo.
Wiseman's research and teaching concentrate on the social and cultural history of twentieth-century North America, with special emphasis on the development of modern science and medical research ethics in both Canada and the United States. With an eye to understanding the political dynamics of science, his published work examines the complex dimensions of military- and state-sponsored research conducted at government, private, and academic institutions. In this light, his current research studies the history of Canada’s National Research Council and gender-based discrimination encountered and overcome by women scientists on both sides of the border.
Wiseman has published extensively on international history and the role of military science in the context of Canadian defence and national security during the Cold War. His books include a monograph on the history of science in northern Canada and the Canadian Arctic between 1945 and 1970, an edited collection of government policy papers written by the late nuclear physicist and military strategist George Lindsey, and a co-edited volume on Canada’s political economy and the military-industrial complex.
Wiseman holds a Ph.D. in History from Wilfrid Laurier University and the Tri-University Graduate Program in History. Before joining the Department of History at the University of Waterloo, he held successive postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Toronto (SSHRC), Western University (AMS), and St. Jerome’s University (Banting). In addition to his ongoing research, Wiseman is a Junior Fellow of the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History in the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto.
