Cathérine Jami facts for kids

Catherine Jami, born in 1961, is a French expert who studies the history of mathematics. She is especially interested in how mathematics developed in China. She works as a top researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Paris. She is also connected with a center that studies modern and current China. Catherine Jami has led important groups focused on Chinese studies and the history of science, technology, and medicine in East Asia.

Catherine Jami's Education and Career

Catherine Jami studied mathematics at a special school in France called the École normale supérieure de jeunes filles from 1980 to 1985. During this time, she earned several advanced degrees in mathematics. In 1986, she also earned a master's degree in Chinese studies from Paris Diderot University. Later, in 2009, she completed a "habilitation" in the history of science. This is a high academic qualification in France.

After teaching for a year, Catherine Jami joined the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in 1986 as a researcher. She became a director of research in 2010. This means she leads important research projects. She worked with different research groups over the years, focusing on the history of science and technology in places like China, Korea, and Japan. In 2014, she moved to the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences.

Awards and Leadership Roles

Catherine Jami has held many important leadership positions. She was the president of the French Association for Chinese Studies from 1996 to 1998. She also led the International Society for the History of East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine from 1996 to 1999.

She was also involved with the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology. She served as their Treasurer from 2009 to 2013 and then as Secretary General from 2013 to 2021.

In 2005, she became a corresponding member of the International Academy of the History of Science. She became a full member in 2012. From October 2021 to October 2025, she has been the first chair of the Standing Committee for Gender Equality in Science (SCGES). This committee works to promote fairness for everyone in science.

Books by Catherine Jami

Catherine Jami has written several books about her research. Here are some of them:

• Les Méthodes rapides pour la trigonométrie et le rapport précis du cercle (1774). Tradition chinoise et apport occidental en mathématiques. This book, published in 1990, is about quick methods for trigonometry and the precise ratio of a circle. It looks at how Chinese traditions and Western ideas came together in mathematics.
• The Emperor’s New Mathematics: Western Learning and Imperial Authority in China During the Kangxi Reign (1662–1722). Published in 2012, this book explores how Western mathematical knowledge influenced China during the Kangxi Emperor's rule.

She has also helped edit many other books and special issues of journals.