He is Dibner Family Professor of the History & Philosophy of Science & Technology, Department Head of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Director of Science and Technology Studies of the Polytechnic Institute of New York University. He is also Professor of the History of Science and Technology of the Gallatin School of New York University. He has authored two books: Spectrum of Belief: Joseph von Fraunhofer and the Craft of Precision Optics (MIT Press, 2000) and Harmonious Triads: Physicists, Musicians, and Instrument Makers in Nineteenth-Century Germany (MIT Press, 2006; paperback 2008).