2025 Senior Kirkaldy Prize winner announced

© Nancy Aizenman

Alexander Aizenman, DPhil student in the History of Science, Medicine, and Technology, has been awarded the 2025 Jane Willis Kirkaldy Senior Prize. The annual prize recognises outstanding essays in the fields of the history of science, medicine, and technology at the University of Oxford.

Alex’s essay, 'Francis Bacon and Torture as a Means of Discovery: Reconsidering the "Vexation" of Nature,' reassesses Francis Bacon’s involvement in state-sanctioned torture during his ascent from informal legal advisor under Queen Elizabeth to Lord Chancellor under James I. Through an analysis of personal correspondence and the official records of the Privy Council, this essay details the extent to which Bacon supported torture as a rational and essential tool of the Attorney General in his search for truth. This essay further argues that Bacon’s legal attitude toward torture should influence how historians interpret his original intent regarding the philosophy of science.

Alex’s doctoral thesis, 'Persons of Skill and Matters of Opinion: The Making and Rise of the Expert Witness in English Common Law 1763-1800,' continues his ongoing interest in the intersection between the history of science and law as he explores how and why skilled professionals and natural philosophers entered the English common law courtroom during the latter half of the 17th century.

Alex would like to thank the Oxford Centre for the History of Science, Medicine, and Technology for their consideration and is honored to have his essay selected for the Jane Willis Kirkaldy Senior Prize.